Getting kids to read can be a challenge. When my oldest started school she wanted nothing to do with it. I wasn’t sure why, both her father and I are big readers.  From the time she was an infant her room was filled with kid’s books. Books that were religiously read to her every night at bedtime. She seemed to enjoy it, often asking for just one more before bed. But, when it came time for her to learn how to read on her own there was no interest. At least not until Video Games helped my child discover the joy of reading. Here’s howRead More →

I mentioned in an earlier post (Making Money as a Stay at Home Mom) that CashCrate is one of the sites I use to make extra cash for the family. Cashcrate is the easiest and least time-consuming site I take part in – and I probably don’t use it enough,  I could probably make a lot more money on CashCrate then I currently do. However, I like to spread out my earnings – both to reduce boredom and because it offers the chance to switch to another site when I have a bad luck day on one of them. This page contains affiliate links. IfRead More →

When I was a little girl my mother taught me this recipe, of course, we called them Chocolate Mud Pies but I’m calling this alteration Birds Nest Cookies. These cookies are fairly simple to make and easily customizable, I’ve thrown in almonds, mini marshmallows, and dried fruit in the past, changing them up to fit whatever event or season I’m making them for. Birds Nest Cookies Ingredients 2 Cups of Sugar 2/3 Cup of Milk 1/2 Cup of Butter or Margarine 2/3 Cup of Cocoa Powder 1 Pinch of Salt 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract 3 Cups Rolled Oats 2 Cups Coconut Flakes 1 bag MiniRead More →

Earth day is one of my favorite days of the year. A whole day where people are filled with thoughts of nature and the wonder of our world. It is a day that should be repeated several times throughout the year in my opinion.  Even better, taking care of our world should just be commonplace in and of itself. It is certainly a value that I have tried to instill in my own children and today’s Earth Day fun was a great excuse for some family bonding time. This post may contain affiliate links which means I will receive a commission if you make a purchaseRead More →

Getting your kids to eat their vegetables is like trying to get my dog in the bathtub – sure it will happen but there will be a few bumps along the way. Both of my kids are good eaters, the problem is that they want to eat all the wrong things. Zoe is a carnivore who devours all things meat and Brooke..well Brooke has a sweet tooth. Neither of these eating habits is particularly healthy and I’ve been struggling for a long time to find vegetables my kids will eat without a fight. Imagine my surprise when they turned their noses up at Acorn SquashRead More →

Our family spends a lot of time together. I can probably count on one hand the number of times my husband and I have been without the kids. However, I can’t deny that I get to spend more time with them then he does. Since I am a stay at home mom I get to spend all day with them in the summers and on holidays while my husband works. By necessity, he sometimes misses out on fun activities and special moments. I try to capture it on video or in photos, but it’s not really the same. It’s a sacrifice he makes to supportRead More →

If you are just joining us you might want to check out Part One of this guide before going any further! If you have already signed up for Swagbucks, familiarized yourself with the site, and downloaded the App as recommended in Part One then you are good to go. Let’s get started with the Guide to Swagbucks Part 2 – Earning Swagbucks! Swagbucks Watch – Mobile App The first thing I do is open the Swagbucks App & sign in. When you have your account open look for the menu on the left-hand side of the top bar. Open it and click on ‘watch’. FromRead More →

Swagbucks is my favorite Stay-at-home money-making site. I find this site to be the easiest to earn points on since there are multiple ways to do so and the site itself is filled with built-in bonus points. There are many ways to earn Swagbucks. In this Guide to Swagbucks, I’m going to focus on sharing how I use the site, the routines, and the tricks that I have found helpful. If you have not yet signed up for Swagbucks I encourage you to go ahead and do that before reading any further. Swagbucks Note – If you sign up using my links I will receiveRead More →

When I was younger I was always working. As a teenager, I often had several jobs at once and from high school onwards I bought my own clothes, my own school supplies, and paid for the upkeep of my own animals. It was busy and hectic and I gave up a lot of social activities to do it all but I liked it. I liked the independence of providing for myself. When I met my husband and moved south I transitioned into being a stay at home mom. Making money as a stay at home mom proved to be a bit more difficult. The journeyRead More →

Easter fun

When it comes to Easter, our family tends to keep things simple. We don’t go all out on a big fancy dinner or spend a fortune on gifts. Easter fun for our family is more about spending time together then spending money. While I enjoy the large-scale celebrations of the other holidays sometime’s it’s nice to have a simple holiday to look forward to. A holiday that is low key and stress-free with plenty of family fun and quality time. Easter celebrations in our family start the day before with Egg dyeing. Dyeing eggs can be messy, especially with young kids who don’t have theRead More →