coolstuffcheap.com

coolstuffcheap.com has some really, REALLY neat stuff. I can think of many scenarios where their fog machines and lava lamps would be perfect: dorm rooms, a teenager's room, even my three year old daughter's room (well, the lava lamp). A fog machine is a great thing to have at parties, particularly themed and Halloween parties.

The company also carries neon clocks. These are things you don't see except in bars, retro restaurants and in music videos. If you like these clocks, definitely check out coolstuffcheap.com!

Save money when shopping for baby clothes

So, here is my secret for shopping for baby clothes for two toddlers without breaking the bank: shop between seasons. It sounds like a strange thing to do, to wait until the end of summer before buying summer clothes, but I promise you you'll save a lot of money, and here's why: stores push the season merchandise before the season begins. This means that by the time summer is nearing an end, the retailers need to get the fall and winter clothes out on the floor. So they clearance all of the summer merchandise to get it out of the way.

Shopping between seasons for baby clothes and childrens clothes works with retail stores, specialty boutiques, and online stores like sandboxcouture.com. They key is waiting for the right time. For spring and summer clothes, check out stores in July and August. For winter clothing, check out stores in March and April.

By shopping between seasons, you'll save as much as 75% on clothes! Here's an example of what I picked up last week: four pairs of toddler girls' shorts, four tank tops, and two pairs of toddler boys' shorts. Guess how much I spent? Ready for it? $30. That's right. $30! Thanks to the items being on clearance, I spent an average of $3 per item. These clothes are normally priced anywhere from $3.99 to $12.99 each. :)

He's almost two!

My son turns two on Saturday. I would be lying if I said that these past two years haven't gone by fast. I know a lot of moms often lament that the baby and toddler days seem to drag and drag, but for me they really flew. Of course, having a busy life and another child assisted with that. My son has a sister who is going to be four in October. I also work from home. And since my son's birth, we have moved twice, dealt with a lot of family drama and changes, and have kept busy doing family things. For instance, in the last seven weeks we have gone swimming at least a dozen times, gone mini-golfing four times, have seen three movies (Hancock, Wall-E and Dark Knight), celebrated three birthdays, went to an amusement park, and went on vacation to the NJ shore.

So, two. What do two year old little boys want for their birthday? That's the question I have been getting from family and friends, and I'm having a heck of a time figuring out the answer. I mentioned clothes and/or gift certificates to a few people, simply because my son is going to need fall and winter clothing. His age really hit me then: two. Two means no more baby clothes. Two means shopping in the little boys section, graduating from 4T and 5T to x-small and 4/5.

Moms, let me tell you: the baby and toddler years go by very quickly. Make sure to stop and enjoy the little moments of them!

One of these days

In April of 2004, I realized that my engagement ring was cracked. Specifically, the band at the very bottom, at its thinnest part, had cracked through entirely. I made plans that week to call up a jeweler to find out how much it would cost to have the ring repaired, but I never got around to it.

Oh hi. Four and a half years later, and the ring is still damaged. It isn’t an issue, except the one or two times I have managed to somehow yank the engagement ring, and the two separate pieces close around and pinch my finger. Do you have ANY idea how painful that is?! Let me tell you, painful. The one incident happened in June of 2005, and I still remember the pain quite vividly, heh.

So yeah, I need to get my butt in groove and call up a jeweler. There’s a local one that advertises free repairs for mens wedding bands and womens wedding bands, so maybe he/she does engagement rings too?

mamabebe.com

Whenever I know of someone who is pregnant, my first thought is of what type of baby gift to get them. I love giving personalized baby gifts, because personalized ones are unique and stand out from the rest. Diaper bags, high chairs, boxes of diapers and onesies are always nice, but what about personalized piggy banks and other keepsakes? Those are definitely unique gifts that won't be soon forgotten.

mamabebe.com is a baby apparel and baby gift website that has all sorts of baby things. You should definitely check them out!

Check out Smartee Pants Clothing!

Smartee Pants Clothing has some really adorable things. It's horrible when I have extra money sitting in my PayPal account, because then I start checking out sites like these and thinking about all of the cute things I could order for Alyssa or Ryan. Ryan in particular should definitely get a little something, since his birthday is just a week away. :)

So... money in my account, nothing to do but shop... what am I looking at? Well, I know that Alyssa would love their rhinestone tees, particularly the one featuring a crown and her name, or even Princess or the heart or cupcake. Their personalized children’s clothes are adorable, and I'm getting some ideas for Alyssa's birthday... I'm thinking a birthday girl t-shirt? I bet she would love that!

Moving on from Alyssa, there are some really nice baby gifts then I can picture as being perfect for a friend of mine who is due to deliver any day now (speaking of her, I'm going to call in the morning to see how she is doing!). If she wasn't so far along, I'd consider buying her some designer maternity tees to show off her baby bump with.

You know, I'm really glad I didn't know about sites like these when I was pregnant with Alyssa and Ryan! Otherwise I don't know how we'd have the money left over for baby gear and diapers and clothes. ;)

Get inspired

If I want to change my hair style, find some new ways to wear makeup, or pick up some new clothes and accessories, I don't waste my time with fashion magazines. Let's face it, as neat as the stuff showcased in them is, it's often a little too extravagant and "out there", and is almost always a lot more than I can afford!

So, I head straight to the mall or a park, and people watch. I have been most inspired by the styles I see walking in front of me. And if I really admire the way a girl has her hair styled, or the color of her eye shadow, or her shoes, I won't hesitate to approach her, compliment her on her [whatever it is that I like], and then ask her how she did it/where she bought it. I've never been turned away from a conversation like this. :)

Great Offer!

Don't forget to check out this nice offer from Titanium-jewelry.com!
This is my favorite place to shop for awesome looking mens wedding bands, titanium rings, and more! Save today!

New show: The Baby Borrowers

I just finished watching The Baby Borrowers. The show has a really neat concept: set up a teenage couple in a house and hand them a baby to watch for a period of three days. The house was completely furnished with regular furniture, baby furniture and food, and once the teens got their clothes and such unpacked, their child was brought in. Obviously there were safeguards in place: a nanny available 24/7 to shadow if need be, and the parents themselves could watch what was happening in the house at all times, from another house right across the street. But generally, the teen couples were on their own with their charges.

So this week's episode featured toddlers. I can definitely sympathize with the frustration level some of the teens experienced. Toddlers ARE frustrating. And yeah, they sleep 10 - 14 hours straight, rather than the horrible little cat naps that tiny babies do, but they are SO much more active during the day.

Heh, I think this is my new favorite show. Have you seen it?

Thursday night ramblings

I have to pee. I'm thirsty. I'm desperately craving chocolate. But I don't feel like getting up, my glass isn't within reach, and there's no chocolate in the house, and my mom has my car so I can't even go out to buy chocolate. Le sigh.

Alyssa is up. She slept late today and didn't come stumbling out until almost noon. I need to hurry up and get her into bed though, because tomorrow morning we all have to be up and ready to go out the door when Dan needs to leave for work, and that's at 11am. We need to leave a few minutes earlier, so that Dan has the time to grab his check and take it to the bank. Since we've all been sleeping in, getting up at 9:30am (me) and 10:15am (kids) is going to suck. But, sigh, we'll deal, somehow!

So, what does everyone have planned for the weekend? I plan on taking a part of my paycheck and shopping for mens rings, and paying bills. For the rings, I'm looking at titanium, but I also like tungsten rings. I know, I'm so exciting. ;)

I love shopping at Target

If you want to excite me, take me to Target. I love that I can get almost everything we need from there. The only exception is plus-size clothing for me (I'll take Fashion Bug any time!) and food beyond the basic gallon of milk, loaf of bread or frozen pizza. I'd say that 99% of Alyssa's clothing and 100% of Ryan's clothing came from Target. I buy socks for myself at Target, and all of my husband's clothes from Target.

Now, if you want to bore me to tears, drag me to a hardware store like Home Depot. Nothing will put me to sleep faster than lumber, paint, plumbing, commercial lighting and carpet swatches. Though I try to make the most of the time there and keep myself lively by checking out some of the neat gadgets they'll often have near the cash registers.

What is your favorite store?

I still have baby bedding

So I had been yapping about a neighborhood yard sale that was held on June 28th. I had every intention of participating, but I was so wiped out from our vacation, driving home and getting settled back in at home (we came home on Thursday evening; the 28th was a Saturday morning) that I skipped it. In hindsight, I should have put a bunch of stuff (baby bedding, baby toys, a few infant outfits) outside with a donation box and let the neighborhood have at it. But I didn't. And now the stuff is still in my house. And I'm sure that half the neighborhood is pissed with me for not doing my part and turning out with crap to sell. Oh well. The downside is that every time I look at the baby stuff I want more babies!

To be honest, we have lived here for a little over a year, and aside from the people on either side of our house, I have no desire to really meet and mingle with anyone else. Not the guy across the road who we had an issue with over a basketball hoop, not the woman next door to him who bellows like an enraged yak for her teenage boys, and not the family on the other side, the husband who is very nice (he helped my brothers and I push my mom's stalled mini-van down the road) but the wife who stares daggers at me every time she sees me (apparently me leaving a plate of cookies on their porch as a way of saying "Thanks for helping me push a mini-van!" is synonymous with, "Hi, can I steal your husband?" ), or the other parents of cretins whom they never take responsibility for.

I'll just keep on being that snobbish, uppity neighbor that I'm sure everyone thinks I am. :P

Tungsten rings

Since titanium-jewelry.com has a coupon good for $25 worth of savings floating around (use coupon code CS25 to get yours!), I'm checking out some tungsten rings for my husband. He has expressed some interest in black titanium and tungsten. I think I like the tungsten personally.

In addition to black titanium and tungsten rings, titanium-jewelry.com also has a huge amount of jewelry available in regular titanium. They carry rings for men and women, necklaces, bracelets and other accessories.

What happens next?

When I was a kid, I never had to think twice about not touching property that wasn't my own. From the time I was very young, it was drilled into my head that it was absolutely unacceptable to venture on someone else's property or touch property belonging to someone else, unless I had their direct permission.
I'm obviously grown now, but those teachings have stuck with me, influenced me, and are now being handed down to my children. My daughter knows that she is not allowed to touch another child's toy or go onto the property of any of our neighbors unless she was specifically invited to.

But so many kids are missing this crucial lesson. A prime example is the neighborhood where my grandfather's home is at. Twice this year his flood lights have been shattered, and I know that it's irritating, misbehaving kids or even teens that are responsible for it. My mom and I make attempts to drive by and check on the home at least twice a week, but unfortunately we've never caught the jerk(s) in the act.

Sometimes I really worry about how the children of today and tomorrow are being raised. So many parents don't want to crack down on their kids for the basic things -- such as staying off the property of others, not vandalizing or trespassing, etc. If these little but common sense things are being overlooked, what does that say for the big things?

Save money at titanium-jewelry.com!

Every now and again I post about titanium-jewelry.com. Well now I'm back and blogging about them again! As you may know, Titanium Jewelry is a leading company in the titanium and tungsten jewelry market. They also have jewelry available in black titanium and even palladium. They carry a large, high quality selection of mens wedding bands and womens wedding bands, but they have plenty of other jewelry as well, including bracelets, necklaces, earrings and accessories for men (cuff links and the like).

Anyway, I came across the following coupon today, and thought I'd share it with you all!

Use the coupon code CS25 to save an instant $25 off of any purchase of $69 or more at titanium-jewelry.com!

Looking up the best titanium ring for my husband

I want to do something special for my husband. While we both work and probably log equal amount of hours most weeks (yes, I am that busy working from home!), his job is much more physically demanding than mine, and definitely more stressful. Plus there's the driving time to and from work, and I know how much he hates to drive.

I have one idea in mind, but it would take a lot of planning, and a significant amount of money. It's something I hope to pull off by the end of the summer. I'm so tempted to just jump and do it this weekend, but unfortunately those pesky little things known as "bills" always want to be paid first.

Today has been a really quiet day. I did some blogging, started a new book (check out my Good Reads to see what's on my reading list!), read some of the confessions at True Mom Confessions, and did a bit of research on titanium rings for a writing project I wrapped up just a little bit ago.

I need to get geared up for July and then August! Ack! Summer is just whizzing by. My son's second birthday is in two weeks, and then we have a swim party to plan for on August 5th. Whew!

Titanium jewelry

When my husband and I planned on marrying, one of the last things we did was go shopping for wedding bands. It was easy enough to find a wedding band for myself, as the selection of womens wedding bands was impressive. But finding a wedding band for my husband turned out to be a bit more challenging. We did finally find one, but not without a lot of hassle and running around.

I wish that we had known about titanium-jewelry.com. Their selection of mens wedding bands is incredible. Better yet, not only are these rings very stylish and well made, but they're also affordable! Many of the mens wedding bands available cost less than our monthly car payment!

While titanium-jewelry.com's specialty is titanium, there are also mens wedding bands, rings and other types of jewelry available in tungsten, black titanium and palladium. Styles range from classic to contemporary, with solo rings, sets, and even tension sets.

The Moses basket

A moses basket is a unique, comfortable and very safe haven for your infant to be. The moses basket looks exactly like you would expect it to look: a long wicker basket that is padded and lined with soft white or other pastel linens, wide and deep enough for your baby to be comfortably nestled in, with sides high enough to keep him or her protected. All moses baskets feature sturdy, strong handles which you can use to transport the basket with.

A moses basket is a great choice for keeping your baby with you, while still keeping him or her safe, comfortable and content. Take the moses basket around the house with you, or on the go! A moses basket makes a perfect accommodation for your baby at the park, on the beach, or at home in your own back yard.
Moses baskets are very popular choices for many mothers, and it's easy to see why!