Mommatudes: March 2009

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Autism Awareness Scarf KAL!

**Don't forget to enter the Oriri Draco Designs Yarn Giveaway. Contest ends 4/13! Click HERE for details.**

I've created an Autism Awareness KAL on Ravelry. You don't have to have someone on the Autism Spectrum in your life to participate. Please check it out! The more, the merrier!

My son was diagnosed with moderate to severe Asperger's Syndrome in 2003. Our lives changed dramatically. But even with the challenges we face, Brian is the sweetest, most loving child I've ever met. I'm so proud to be his mommy. :)

Friday, March 27, 2009

Fun & Frugal Friday / Changes to Mommatudes

Here for the 5MFM UBP? Check out my Welcome Post HERE.

Today's Fun Fact is:

35% of people who use personal ads for dating are already married.

{Discuss amongst yourselves}

Today's Frugal Find:

Michaels has Americana Acrylic Paint (2 oz.) for $0.77/each!

{I've got a cute little Easter craft that I am writing a tutorial for right now using these paints!}

I'm making a few changes around here. I'm going to be posting in a new theme format. Here is the format:
Mondays - Momma 'Tude Monday/Giveaways
Tuesdays - OPEN/ Winner Announcement
Wednesdays - Giveaways
Thursdays - That's ME Thursday (Courtesy of The Classy Closet)/Winner Announcement
Fridays - Fun & Frugal Friday

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Over 30 = Gender Neutrality?

Okay.. Maybe it's the hormones. Or maybe I'm just hypersensitive (Nahhhh). But what happens to women in their mid-30's? Those of us with kids and/or a hubby go through this weird transition: gender neutrality. We no longer have people talk about us with emphasis on the feminine pronouns. Here - I'll give you an example:

In our 20's, people might refer to us like this:
Who is she? She's hot. She's amazing!

Okay, in mid-30's and with family:
That's Rob's wife. Oh, you must be Brian's mom. Who is that?

Somehow my being a woman is all wrapped up into functioning as the nagging wife or the 'I didn't see you at the PTA meeting' mom. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love being a wife and mother. But it seems to me that as men age, they come into their own. They become 'great men'. As women age, we tend to fall behind the scenes. (Not all of us.) And I don't think it's because we necessarily want to become so and so's wife and so and so's mommy only. I think it just happens in our society. And those of us who are in the public eye as we mature are first criticized for our weight, wrinkles, and clothes before our accomplishments.

As men age, gray hair at the temples is attractive, a sign of wisdom. If a woman has gray - it's OMG, look how old she looks. Men gather wrinkles and it's again a sign of wisdom. Women gather wrinkles and they are told to get Botox, filler, and microderm abrasion if they want to remain attractive. Men pack on a few pounds and they call it maturing or filling out. Women pack on a few pounds and we're FAT, plain and simple. If men had to watch all parts of their body head south for the winter after having kids, they would have mandatory plastic surgery coverage by insurance companies. Women have to endure it or go under the knife at great expense.

And here's the really tricky part. In our mid-30's something else happens to women: we start to love being in our own skin. We start to feel more confident, more attractive. (Hormones, dontcha know.) We start to feel like our male counterparts felt in their mid-20's.

So you may ask: Does this rant have a point? Um.. not really. I think I'm just feeling frustrated with getting older. And the barrage of Botox, Juvederm, Wonderbra, age-defying cream, and models in size 1 jeans ads are starting to tick me off. I may be 34, but I'm not dead. I'm still vital and (reasonably) attractive (I'm no model, but I'm not hideous). I still want to be noticed for things other than my ability to get grass stains out of white shorts and organize the PTA. I want to be recognized for all of my accomplishments. I want to take back my feminine pronoun! Who's with me?

We have another winner!!

Via random number generator, the winner of the blog makeover by Design by Cece is:

Steph

Congrats! Thank you to all who participated. A BIG thank you to Cesia of Design by Cece for sponsoring this giveaway.

For those of you who entered but did not win: Cesia is offering $25 in free blog accessories as part of her grand opening special to all who entered but did not win!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

We Have a Winner...

The winner of the Lauren's Lovelies Butterfly-Inspired Necklace, as determined via random number generator - #72, is...

Renee

Congrats on your lovely prize! A big thank you to everyone who paricipated in the giveaway and especially to Lauren of Lauren's Lovelies for sponsoring this terrific giveaway!! Be sure to stop back next week to check out my next giveaway sponsored by Fab Essentials!

AND DON'T FORGET: Tomorrow is the LAST day to enter the Blog Makeover Giveaway sponsored by Design by Cece. Click here to enter!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Ultimate Blog Party 2009 is Here! Welcome!!

A warm welcome to any first-time readers of Mommatudes. Mommatudes is one of three blogs I host. Yes, I have multiple-personality-blog-disorder (MPBD). On this blog, I like to focus on things that are important to me as a mommy. My posts vary from rants & observations to product and website reviews to giveaways. I'm a fairly new blogger and look forward to developing new bloggy relationships!

A few fun facts about me:

I married my HS sweetheart and we've been together for a total of 19 years, 12 of which we've been married
I have 2 kiddos: a boy and a girl
My son has Asperger's Syndrome
We just picked up and moved the fam to PA for their autism services. I also quit my job teaching Medical Assisting to become a SAHM - LOTS of changes
I love me my crafts! I have to create something every day.
I'm going to be the dreaded 35 this year!!
I started blogging as a way to connect to other moms. I wasn't prepared for the the feeling of isolation that occurred when we moved to a new state and I quit working.
My vices are pistachio ice cream, Starbucks coffee, anything chocolate, shopping for craft supplies, and bubble baths!

If you'd like to get a feel for who I am, please take a peek at some of my recent posts:

So, make yourselves at home. Kick off your shoes and get comfy. Be sure to enter some giveaways while you're here!

And if you're interested in my other blogs, feel free to give 'em a look-see:

Knit Purl Gurl - A knitting, crochet, & crafting blog
Scrap Paper Scissors - A digital scrapbooking blog

For the 5MFM UBP Prizes:

There are so many cool prizes to be won at this year’s Ultimate Blog Party, but my top three picks would be:

#58 - The Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer from Moms Who Think
#109 - Stampin' Up Prize Package from Pensive Me
#19 - $50 Gift Card to Target from Shoot Me Now
And if my top three picks are already chosen, I’d love any of the following (in order of preference):

21, 17, 20, 38, 56 or anything that my 4 year old daughter or I would enjoy :)

Enjoy the party!!! Toodles,

Ultimate Blog Party 2009 Preview

Don't forget to enter the Lauren's Lovelies Butterfly-Inspired Necklace Giveaway and the Knit Witch Wicked-Fun Giveaway - both giveaways end 3/23. Also don't forget to enter the Blog Makeover by Design by Cece giveaway- ends 3/25.

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting the Ultimate Blog Party 2009! This is the first year I am participating and am thrilled! I really hope to meet some new bloggers. So spread the word! The Ultimate Blog Party runs from March 20th - 27th. Visit 5 Minutes for Mom for all of the details. Be sure to check back with Mommatudes tomorrow for the UBP '09 kick off post!

Many thanks to Homemaker Barbi for suggesting this terrific opportunity for blog growth.

Mother's Day Gift Guide

I'm trying to take Mommatudes to the next level in my blogging - product reviews, gift guides, and new finds. I'd like to pull together a Mother's Day Gift Guide. Would you, my readers, be interested in a Mother's Day Gift Guide? If so, PLEASE comment. I'm trying to pull together companies/persons interested in having their products reviewed as well as being a part of a Mother's Day Giveaway and Gift Guide. If I have little to no interest in a gift guide & giveaway, then I'll likely not pull it together. Give me your input!

If you have your own company, represent a company, or know someone who owns their own company and would be interested in being a part of the Mommatudes Mother's Day Gift Guide - please contact me at knitpurlgurl[at]gmail[dot]com.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

AIG Angst and Other Rants

Alright, I just need to say it. I'm NOT happy about the AIG bonuses. Personally, I understand contractual obligations, BUT, I think the government should have put some restrictions on monies loaned. I also believe that AIG should hang their heads in shame.

In my own home state of Ohio, many manufacturing jobs have left the state (to go overseas), leaving an enormous amount of Ohioans out of work. To add injury to insult, their mortgage interest rates skyrocketed and they had no job and no hope of paying their mortgage.

Now, I'm all for accountability. The government is talking about the home-owners' accountability in buying more house than they can afford. And I can agree. There are plenty of people who got caught up in buying as much house as they were told they could afford. However, the banks should not have given out these loans. But what about AIG and the government's accountability? The government bailed out AIG. Isn't this almost the same as giving out a loan that is risky? Apparently so. AIG has now given out millions of dollars in retention bonuses. (And 11 of those recipients of retention bonuses have left the company.)

My family is very fortunate. We have not lost our home. My husband still has a job. But, we have decreased spending. We are buying second hand. We are clipping coupons. We are cutting luxuries (cable, satellite radio, dinners out, no vacations..). We are trimming the budget and paying down any debts because we need to be prepared in a fiscally uncertain economy. We are not wealthy. We are middle class. We do not have new furniture, new cars, new toys.. I do not shop at expensive shops. I do not go to the spa. We are doing what we can to be fiscally responsible.

I think AIG and our government (both sides of the aisle - this is a completely non-partisan rant) should find ways to trim their budgets. I understand that it is not easy. But if myself and countless families have scrimped, saved, and trimmed their budgets, why can't they? I know this sounds simplistic. But really it is. Cut out spending on bonuses (luxuries). Trim the fat from the budget. Just like with our famlies, you can't cut everything. You need certain things to live. But, I think we Americans are getting tired of working and working to pay taxes that go to bail out companies that were irresponsible. And all the while they are taking that money and giving bonuses to their undeserving employees. Meanwhile, my husband's bonuses were cut due to the economy. People I know don't even have jobs to go to anymore.

I don't have the solutions. I'm just a mom. I don't have a business degree. I'm not an economist. I'm a HOME economist. And I know what works to keep my family afloat. - STOP SPENDING on things you DON'T NEED. And yes, there is a difference between things you need and things you want. I think that line is blurred for alot of people.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Craft-tacular!

Okay, I admit it. I am a pack rat. A super pack rat. A super-mega pack rat. A super-mega-ultra pack rat. I keep nearly EVERYTHING! (- when it comes to my hobbies) Spring air wafting into my wee li'l apartment energized me and sent me into a craft cleaning frenzy! The only problem - Not so much cleaning occurred. More of a re-organizing. Hubby asked if I got rid of anything and ashamed and looking at my pink pedicure I squeaked out a timid, "No."

As we have relocated into an apartment from our large house (which I miss terribly!), I've had to put most of my craft stuff into storage and move the essentials into our apartment bedroom. (Hubby has been notably supportive of our bedroom becoming a dual purpose room.) In Ohio, I had a really nice craft room (which was technically the office until I kept moving my craft supplies into every crevice and the closet - then hubby's office became 3/4 of one wall) that fit most of my things. The rest was stashed in the dining room, under my bed, and in the master closet. Oh, and I won't even go into the baking pans on their own shelf in the basement!

Today, I realized that my craft acquisition has exceeded all available storage space. This may indicate a slight problem. Not necessarily a storage problem (as I tried to assert to hubby earlier today), but possibly a craft-supply and hobby addiction. While I am unsure there is a 12 step program in my area for crafters anonymous, I am sure that if there would be one, we'd all be crafting signs for the meeting; redecorating the room we meet in; repurposing the pamphlets; or hand crafting, 'Thinking of you' cards for our fellow CAs. We may all bring beautifully decorated fondant tea cakes; freshly ground expresso drinks; and plates that have been hand-painted to match the theme. You may see some of us hovering in front of the building stamping, crocheting, or even worse, decoupaging - as crafting in the building is prohibited.

So I haven't relinquished my hot glue gun. I haven't thinned out the yarn stash. I haven't donated my stamping supplies. And I definitely haven't pitched my Mod Podge. But it is all re-organized and beautifully displayed on the shelves in my Master Bedroom closet (originally intended for sweaters, sweatshirts, and shoes), the sewing desk adjacent to my bed, and the wardrobe that used to house my clothing. (Clothing storage is SO over rated.) My craft magazines are all cataloged. My patterns and books are all organized. Even all of my paper crafting supplies have been sorted and organized in giant drawers.

Now I feel like crafting! I'm so glad everything is neat and tidy so that I can go make a mess of it all over again!! ;p

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Design by Cece Blog Makeover Giveaway!

Don't forget to enter the Lauren's Lovelies Butterfly-Inspired Necklace Giveaway and the Knit Witch Wicked-Fun Giveway! Both giveaways end March 23rd!

The talented Cesia of Design By Cece is sponsoring a blog-beautifying giveaway! She is giving away a prize package that includes:

Custom "Tailored" Blog Design
Includes:
Custom header
Custom background
Two or three columns, your choice
Custom text formatting (such as drop caps and pull quotes)
Removal of the Blogger navbar
Navigation text links
Hands-free installation

$15 credit for any Accessories of your choice
Ability to get more Accessories past the $15, but you have to pay for them
(Examples of Accessories are matching Etsy banner & avatar, favicon, label cloud, post signatures, sidebar widget titles, etc.)

This is worth $95.

Wowwee!! This is a TERRIFIC giveaway for the blogger who'd like to update their blog, beautify their blog, or just plain pull their blog design together.

Here are the entry rules:

You must be an established blogger who knows what you want. It is far easier for a blog designer to work with someone who has experience with their blog and has an idea of how they'd like it to look.
You must have a Blogger/Blogspot blog to be eligible at this time.
You must leave a comment explaining what your perfect blog outfit or blog makeover would look like. Get creative!!!
The contest is open March 11th - March 25th. The winner will be chosen via random number generator and announced on March 26th.
Be sure that your profile links to your email address or that you leave your email address in your comment so that we can contact you should you win. If we can't contact you, we will be forced to choose another winner.

Want EXTRA entries? - Please be sure to put each entry in a separate comment so that the random number generator counts every entry!!

Become a follower of Mommatudes, come back and post that you have for another entry. If you're already a follower, comment that you are for an additional entry.
Visit Cesia's blog, leave her a comment (show her some bloggy love!!). Come back here and comment that you have for another entry.
Blog all about it!! Come back here and comment that you have with a link to your post for yet another entry.

And that's not all - Cesia will give away TWO blog makeovers (1 makeover each to 2 different bloggers) IF we have over 500 entries!!! So go and tell your friends right away!!! Good luck!

*** Do you have your own business or know of someone who does? Why not sponsor a giveaway on Mommatudes and drive traffic to your site?! Contact me at knitpurlgurl[at]gmail[dot]com for details!!***

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Show Me the Money!

Don't forget to enter the Lauren's Lovelies Butterfly-Inspired Necklace Giveaway and the Knit Witch Wicked-Fun Giveway! Both giveaways end March 23rd!

Okay, I'm SURE we're not the only family feeling the financial crunch right now. Almost a year ago, my husband and I made a decision that I would quit my job and become a SAHM. Yes, I would lose my income (which wasn't that great, but an income nonetheless) but we would gain alot in family capital. We moved the fam to PA for the amazing autism services; I quit my job; and hubby accepted a new position. Then, it hit us. We're stuck in the quagmire that is this economy. We can't sell our house. As with most companies, my husband's bonus was cut due to economic decline (better than his job being cut). And now we're faced with two options: 1.) For me to return to work (and spend most of my income on daycare and work-related expenses -OR- 2.) Continue to be a SAHM and cut as many financial corners as possible.

We decided to SIMPLIFY and re-think our lives. We've made some ground rules:

Pick one entertainment/luxury that you won't give up (just reduce)
Eliminate luxuries that you truly don't need or could do without and not even miss them
Find ways to eliminate mounting debt
Look for FREE fun
DON'T deprive, DO makeover our lifestyle

So here's the deal:
The Problem: I don't want to give up crafting. It's a large part of who I am. However, the enormous cost of scrapbooking supplies, paper crafting supplies, and art supplies make crafting an expensive hobby.
The Solution: I digi scrap with FREEBIES (Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, DigiFree, Ikea Goddess) I find online and a very inexpensive software package (Scrapbook Max!) that cost me around $35. Sure, it doesn't do what Photoshop does, but it allows me a creative outlet. Also, purchasing most digi kits will only run you $5 or less and can be reused as much as you'd like (just be aware of the Terms of Use). I gave up paper crafting for the time being unless there is a special thing/event that I will craft presents for (Mother's Day). I gave up the art supplies. BUT - I kept the luxury of buying yarn. I have decreased the amount and frequency in which I buy yarn and have started to dive into my own stash before automatically buying more yarn.

The Problem: Our entertainment costs seemed so small. We don't eat out much. We rarely go to the movies, sporting events, or concerts. So I was trying to figure out where our entertainment costs actually were. I found them in the extra cable channels, our respective satellite radio subscriptions; multiple DVRs, and wasteful grocery shopping.
The Solution: We cut our cable back to basic cable. We now only have 1 DVR. We eliminated our satellite radio subscriptions. I plan out our meals so that the ingredients I purchase at the grocery stretch over two or three dinners. (LOVE Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller for this) We cut our cellphone contract to the minimum package without all of the bells and whistles. WE cancelled our magazine subscriptions.

The Problem: Mounting DEBT! Ouch!
The Solution: We consolidated our debt (some credit cards charging as much as 29% interest!) to a low interest loan at 3% interest. We paid off the credit cards with the loan money and cancelled the credit cards. We've kept one credit card which we decreased the limit down to almost nothing. Our new motto: if we can't pay for it right now, we're not buying it.

The Problem: How to have fun on an extreme budget
The Solution: Free, Free, Free! Free concerts in the park (our community does this once a week). The library is FREE! We take advantage of library programs and borrowing books. Free playdates! Meeting other parents in the park for free playdates. Free community activities (our community has a terrific calendar online). Bike rides, walks, and board games. Remember when we were kids and this is what we did with our parents? We didn't have a dayplanner's worth of paid activities at age 5. Our son kept his art center membership and we kept preschool for our daughter. These are enriching activities that we could not eliminate. We DID eliminate activities that the kids were quasi-interested in.

The Problem: Not feeling deprived.
The Solution: With awesome resources like:

The Grocery Game
Coupon Mom
Consumer Queen
Money Saving Mom
Mommysavers
and the countless frugal bloggers who blog about how to save money, repurpose or reuse materials, and new ways to live well on much less.

It's all out there, but it takes alot of work to research these things daily. It has become my new fulltime job. Excess, waste, and accumulation of toys is so out. Home economics is back in and in a big way! -Everything from stretching meals; repurposing discarded items or gargage sale finds; making it yourself and saving a boodle; or just getting back to the basics : gardening, sewing, cooking.. Any little bit helps. You don't have to be a domestic diva to incorporate a few changes in your life that add up to big savings.

The bottom line.. we don't miss what we've given up. We actuallly spend more family time together. The only added expenses have been subscriptions to Grocery Game and the Sunday paper (only). The value of the coupons from the Sunday paper exceed the cost of the paper! And with Grocery Game, I've slashed my grocery bill in half! We can do this, frugal moms!

What are your money-saving tips/resources? What have you had to makeover in your life?

Monday, March 9, 2009

Lauren's Lovelies Butterfly Necklace Giveaway!

Be sure to pop on over to KnitPurlGurl and enter the Knit Witch Wicked-fun Giveaway!

The lovely Ms. Lauren of Lauren's Lovelies Etsy shop, has created this beautiful necklace for our giveaway! This butterfly-inspired necklace is a re-purposed domino. (Can you believe it?) It's so beautiful and unique. It's eco-friendly chic!

Here's the scoop on entering this giveaway: (All comments are moderated, so be sure to allow up to 24 hours for your comments to post to the blog.)

Visit Lauren's Etsy shop and browse her fantastic pieces Come back to Mommatudes and post which piece is your favorite
The giveaway is open today, March 9 - March 23. The winner will be chosen via random number generator and announced on March 24th.
Be sure that if your profile doesn't link your email address that you leave an email address so that I can contact you should your name be chosen. If I cannot contact you, I will have to choose another winner.
This contest is only open to residents of the US and Canada.

Want additional opportunities to win? Here are some ways to gain extra entries (Be sure that each and every entry is in it's OWN comment or the random number generator will not count your every entry.):

Make Lauren's Lovelies a 'Favorite' of yours on Etsy. Come back and comment that you have!
Become a follower of Mommatudes and come back and post that you have for an additional entry. If you're already a follower, be sure to comment that you are for an additional entry
Blog about the contest on your blog and come back and comment that you have for yet another entry!

*** Do you have your own business or know of someone who does? Why not sponsor a giveaway on Mommatudes and drive traffic to your site?! Contact me at knitpurlgurl[at]gmail[dot]com for details!!***

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Momma's Love - Website Review

Momma's Love will be a series devoted to reviewing products, websites, blogs, podcasts and the like that I absolutely LOVE! Tune in every Thursday for a new review. I have personally used, read, viewed, or tried each thing I review. If you have a suggestion for Momma to review - please comment!! Also, if you've reviewed something you just LOVE, let me know! You could be a guest blogger!

I Love to Create.com is a website dedicated to highlighting the many product lines of Duncan Enterprises. Their craftilicious product lines include: Tulip, Aleene's, Crafty Chica, and Duncan. They have something for everyone - from the crafter to the educator to the fashion artist or ceramist.

Projects: You'll find fun, funky craft projects to browse or try. They're sure to list all supplies needed and good instructions for completing the projects. They also feature artists such as Vickie Howell, Thomas Deir, Jennifer Perkins, and so many more and THEIR related projects.

Products: ILovetoCreate.com takes you through the entire Duncan Lineup of products; what they are used for and how to use them. They link related projects to each product (which is a great way to become introduced to a product you've never used before).

Education: If you're like I am, I need to SEE a demo to fully understand and appreciate how to best utilize a project. In this section of their website, you can view videos on product application and techniques. There's also a section for teachers that offers art lesson plans that can be applied to Language Arts, Math and Science. (This would also be great for homeschoolers!!)

Community: As not to leave anything out of the crafting experience, they've included a community on their site where one can post to forums, discover some crafty blogs, and view a gallery of crafter's projects.

It's a really creative and fun site. It's not your grandma's craft site for sure. I especially love being able to look through the products and then watching videos on how to use them. I've walked past shelves of these products and never really knew what to do with them. Who hasn't used Aleene's Tacky Glue or Tulip dyes? But there are products I've never used or was hesitant to buy because I was unsure of the best way to use them. No, I'm not a paid spokesperson for ILovetoCreate.com or Duncan Enterprises. 'Just sharing interesting things as I come across them.

And the winner is..

The winner of the Just Ice Jewelry Hammered Silver Earrings Giveaway is.....

Francine

Congrats, Francine! Linda will mail out your prize shortly!

Stay tuned.. Mommatudes has 2 GREAT giveaways coming up next week: including a bloggy makeover and a gorgeous necklace. Check back next week for all of the juicy details!!

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