Get Good Make Up for $1

One of my friends yesterday sent to me a link that you can get E.L.F. makeup for $1 on their site right now.  Nordstrom has bought the line and it going to re-package everything, so we are getting a HUGE savings.  I bought several things myself and only had to pay $15.  If you order $15 worth of product, at the checkout put in the code "Carolina" and you basically get free shipping.  Happy Shopping!

Southern Comfort

Growing up in the south, I always saw the cutest kids in their "Southern" outfits on Sunday mornings.  Now being the great Midwest, sometimes the kiddy couture is not the same as the South.  Which is fine and dandy, but if you are looking for a little bit of Southern Comfort, below are a couple of site to find great Jon Jon's and frilly dresses.

www.princesslinens.com

www.ragamuffinshoppe.com

www.bullfrogsandbutterflies.com

www.sweetandsimpleonline.com

Great Bows

For moms with girls, the term "bow head" will either make you cringe or jump for joy.  This mom is definitely a "bow head" jump for joy lady.  And if you are with me, I have a great site for you to review.  

www.bloomingbows.com

This is not going to be a frugal buy, but what is cuter than a little girl with a big bow tromping down the street?  Enjoy!

For You Crafters Out There

I always tend to find myself getting so excited about new craft projects, order them, and then they sit in a drawer.  However, this is a fun and easy craft project that you can use for onesies, bibs, or burb cloths to dress them up a bit.  It is a site, Sublime Stiching, in which you can order iron on designs and then follow the patter to stitch things.  They have cleaver things like sushi, retro prints, and even fonts.  So, if it's up your ally, a fun project for you!

www.sublimestiching.com

Pork Tenderloin with Blueberry Sauce

I made this last week and it was easy and is another heart healthy receipe from Family Circle.  Enjoy!

Makes 4

Prep 15 min Roast at 400 for 25 min

Cook 3 min

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 lbs)

2 t sodium free chicken grilling blend (like Mrs. Dash)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

12 oz green beans, ends trimmed

1 T olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 C frozen bluberries, thawed (I did fresh organic and it worked well too)

1/4 C cider vinegar

1 t sugar

1/2 t dried thyme

Heat oven to 400.  Rub pork with chicken seasoning and 1/4 t each salt and pepper and place in roasting pan.  Roast at 400 for 25 min., until internal temp. registers at 155

When 10 min of cooking time remain, remove pan and spread green beans around pork; drizzle with 1/2 t olive oil. Stir beans and return pan to oven

Heat remaining 1/2 t olive oil in a small saucepan over med-high heat. Cook onion 3 min.  Add blueberries, vinegar, sugar, thyme, and remaining 1/4 t each salt and pepper to saucepan; cook for 5 min or until thickened.  Serve pork with sauce.

The Discovery Toy - Site Sale

I just received an email for the The Discovery Toy site.  They are having a big sale and the entire site is an additional 10% off.  We ordered walkie talkies from them for our nephew for Christmas and had a good experience.  If you sign up for their emails, you can get alerts for sales too.

www.shopping.discovery.com

Teething- It bites for us all

First, I want to start and say that for some children teething is nothing.  For one of my friends, one day her son just woke up and had teeth.  No signs, no cries, no anything.  I wish this for you all.  However, for the rest of us, teething is a very painful process for everyone.  Babies can start to develop teeth as early as two months and some not for a couple of years.  This is not concerning as teething is hereditary.  Whenever you or your husband got teeth, is typically when your child will too.  Our daughter was a late bloomer and got her first chomp at the age of 10 months.  I had read all of the books and studied up on the signs, we bought all of the latest and greatest teething rings, gels, etc.  Just to find out that we were not prepared at all.  It was three am the first night and she woke up crying, still laying on her belly, but crying.  This lasted 15 min.  The next night it happened again, for longer.  It happened three nights in a row and finally the last night for an hour.  She did not have a temp, but was warm, snotty, and we had no idea what to do.  Finally we called the doctor and they said it was teething.  I had not heard of these "teething cries" before.  But apparently it is a very common reaction to teeth coming in.  

Now that we knew we were in the full throttle of teething., we broke out the teethers ... didn't work.  Tylenol, she refused to take it.  And finally broke down and tried the "herbal" teething pills, that kind of helped.  And of course for each of these steps, someone scared us on why we should not be using them.  Below find a recap of different methods and a con that of course was offered to us.  We ended up using almost all of them anyway, but just as helpful advice.  Enjoy and hang in there if your little one is teething!

Teething rings - Some people do not want to use these because if they were to burst, your child would swallow saline water.  Many opt for a damp washcloth that you put in the freezer for a couple of minutes and then they can take it to the crib with them at night.  We did both.

Teething Gel - A caution for this.  Many warn not to use this at night, only during the day with supervision.  The reason is that if you do not get all of it on the teeth directly, you can numb the tongue and cause your child to have trouble swallowing.  We used it during the day.

Tylenol vs. Motrin - As your child gets older, Motrin is much more effective for pain. However, some pediatricians do not want you to use Motrin until your child has turned one.  Speak with your doctor on their thoughts.

Herbal Teething Tablets - Many people swear by these, but our pediatrician specifically said not to use them.  Because he was unaware of the effects and how this product was tested prior to being released to the market.  Since it is a "natural" drug, it does not have to go through the testing process that other drugs do.  Again, I would talk to your doctor and then do what you feel comfortable with.

If anyone has more helpful advice, please post as I know this is a long and trying process for us all!

The Right Start is Closing

One of our favorite stores is closing.  The Right Start carries children's' goods, apparel and a lot more.  They have already started to do markdowns on there site ranging from 10-30%.  Things will go down further as they close.  To cash in on savings if you do not have a store in your area, go to www.therightstart.com.  

To Cut or Not to Cut-- A big question!

Back in the day, I looked forward to the day that I got to go down to Michigan Avenue, walk into my upscale hair salon.  I knew that it would be quiet the experience.  Because not only would they greet me with bottled water, hot tea, or soda of my choice, but for those few hours I would feel like a movie star.  Someone would come and wash my hair, then the "artist" would cut my hair, then the up and coming "artist" would blow my hair out.  By the time I was finished I would walk out the door, down the Mag Mile and then realize...that I had completely blown hundreds of dollars for something that I would sleep on and never look the same.  If you really think about it, was it worth it?  Tips for three people on top of the completely over priced rates?  Some would say yes, and I would still say yes a couple of times a year.  But for those quick trim us for those damages ends, I offer a solution.  In my new found cheap self I found myself walking down Southport and looked at the Hair Cuttery.  I had never really seen it before, but the big sign in the window advertising $15 hair cuts certainly caught my eye.  Now, mind you I have had some of the WORST hair cuts from places like these, but now that I know how to tell someone how to cut my hair.  And that I am not afraid to say "STOP!"  So I thought, why not?  I went in, to be surrounded by men and screaming children.  My stomach dropped a bit, but the $15 stuck firmly in my head.  I sat down with a lady and told her exactly what I wanted.  I watched very carefully at head cut made.  I mean, I was only getting and inch cut, so I wasn't sure how much damage really could be done.  Well, to my surprise I had a wonderful hair cut and a very nice conversation.  Therefore, I would highly recommend the Hair Cuttery or places like these for your "trims."  Yes, I agree that us girls deserve a fancy treat every once in awhile, but with the hundreds of dollars that I saved....we had date night!  I would take that any day over bottled water.

How Cheap is too Cheap

It seems that being cost efficient is the new trend.  However, is there too cheap?  In the past, I would have said absolutely.  I would only buy name brands and would have shivered at the fact of those non-Cheerios in the grocery.  Now I am rethinking my stance.  The next few postings will be directed on ways to save on things that you may not have not thought of in the past.  Here in our home a Sunday tradition would be to look over the newspaper and pull out our favorites ads and clippings prior to heading out.  Now, I take this time to really look for the real savings.  I have been clipping coupons every Sunday and this past month alone I saved us over $50 in our grocery budget.  Now, that is a great burger and tots at Schoolyard!  So, next you may be flipping through the articles, ads, or just tossing your paper.  You might want to look at the coupons as well, because $50 a month for year, is a lot of savings!