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Save Time, Save Money & Save Your Sanity! www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com August 7, 2009 Volume 3 Issue 2 http://www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com In This Issue * Back to School Shopping * How to Survive a Family Road Trip * Just for Fun * Important Info. "Having someone to love is family. Having somewhere to go is home. To have both is a blessing." Unknown ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Hi Everyone! It's hard to believe summer vacation is coming to a close. School will start here in Maryland in about 3 weeks. I honestly can't wait. My youngest goes to full-time kindergarten and that means I have the opportunity to start working on my sites full-time. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. If any of you have been through this or are going through it now, I'd love to hear your advice. Thanks :) Anyway, this month I've included two great articles. The first article is about back to school shopping. My favorite time of the year. I love school supplies. To me they symbolize a fresh start. All those blank pages just spark my creativity and offer endless possibilities. So this article talks about when to shop, how to save, what to buy, plus different things to consider when back to school shopping. The second article talks about surviving long family car trips. I personally use all of the tips in the article when my family goes on car trips. It's a nice read. So enjoy this month's newsletter and have a wonderful month! Kim ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Please Support Our Sponsors Moms remember what your body looked like before your kids? You can get that back. No really! Try these fast, fun workouts you can do from home. 15 minutes a day is all it takes! You've got to check this out! http://shavattk.fitmummy.hop.clickbank.net/ Living on a Dime ebook series. Incredible ebooks that give real life examples on how to live frugally. Dining On A Dime Cookbook: Eat Better, Spend Less!, Penny Pinchin' Mama: 500 ways I lived on $500 a month, and Dig Out of Debt: Over 1000 of the Best Ideas From LivingOnADime.com which I have personally read and highly recommend! http://shavattk.livingonad.hop.clickbank.net/ To Advertise Here visit www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Back to School Shopping "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" as per the Staples commercial. If you're like me you love back to school and if not, well now is just a really good time to get great deals. July is when retailers set up their school supplies displays. More importantly, now is the time to shop to get the best selection and to get the best price. How Do I Get Best Deal and Selection? With retailers offering a box of 24 crayons for 4/$1 and notebooks for $.15 each, you will be hard pressed to find a better deal. To get the best deal you need to shop early because once they're gone-they're gone! Some kids only want a notebook, lunchbox or folder with their favorite character on it. Well, to get that all important character, you really should shop early especially if it is popular this season. This becomes less of an issue as kids get older because there are less characters geared to middle school and high school aged kids. No School-Aged Kids? If your kids are in preschool or younger don't let these deals pass you by. Most toddlers and preschoolers love to color and with crayons, markers, and paper so inexpensive you could easily stock up for the year. Don't forget the storage containers to hold all their toys, coloring supplies, and games. What about parents of kids entering college? Now is the perfect time for you to furnish their dorm room or apartment. Bedding and decor are also on sale, so comforters, sheets, bed frames, chairs, trash cans, and storage containers are nicely discounted. Many stores also have microwaves, mini refrigerators, laptops and computers on sale now. Everything you need to help your student be organized and prepared for college life. Not Just for School You don't need to have kids to rake in the great deals. Folders are wonderful for keeping track of bills, home improvement projects and grocery shopping by holding coupons & lists. Blank spiral notebooks are perfect for keeping phone messages, running to-do lists, keeping track of expenses, or even journaling. Home-based business owners can use this time to stock up on pens, pencils, staples, paper clips, and folders for presentations. It's also a perfect time to upgrade their computer while they are on sale. There's more to back to school shopping than just preparing for September. Think about the entire year, stock up and save big. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kimberly Shavatt is the owner of HelpingMomsAtHome.com and Helping Moms At Home Blog. She offers lots of hints, tips, time saving, and money saving ideas and resources for moms. ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * How to Survive a Family Road Trip It's every family's dream: a week or so on the road with no responsibilities other than family togetherness. But the dream can quickly turn into a nightmare for tired, fussy and out-right bored kids -- and the parents who have to listen to them. Following these five "rules of the road" will help keep the peace and the dream alive. 1. Slow down. It's an old story - once Dad gets behind the wheel he has a tendency to want to "drive straight through". But young children can only travel in a confined space for about two hours without a rest stop. More frequent stops result in happier kids. 2. Ration the treats. It's tempting to give each child a backpack with all of his or her own toys, games, and treats in one bag. But most children will plow through the bag within the first hour and then complain of boredom the rest of the way. It's best to have an adult hold the loot and then dole it out at appropriate moments. 3. Let 'em loose. A rest stop needs to involve more than a quick trip to the restroom. Children of all ages need to blow off energy and exercise their muscles. So bring along a Frisbee or football to throw while you're stopped, or get off the highway and look for a local school playground. Yes, it takes longer to travel this way, but isn't the journey itself the point of a road trip? 4. Plan a picnic. Road trips can often mean multiple fast-food meals. Not only is this an expensive way to eat, it doesn't provide much variety or nutritional balance. Pack a cooler with sandwiches, cut-up veggies, fruit and cold water, then look for a roadside rest stop or playground for your picnic. It gives you one more good excuse to stop and let the kids run. 5. Don't forget the dvd player. The longer the road trip, the more likely you will need to resort to electronics to survive the trip. But it's a good idea to limit the amount of time your kids spend plugged into a dvd player or iPod. The trick here is balance. With planning and patience, you will not only survive your next family road trip, but may find you actually enjoy the experience. And don't worry about the occasional backseat squabbles, they are all part of a well-rounded childhood experience. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Barb Dearing is an online author who likes to write about family topics. She is a big fan of family road trips when they include a good portable dvd player and a separate set of headphones for each child. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barbara_Dearing http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Survive-a-Family-Road-Trip&id=2690050 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Just For Fun Bubble Wrap Have you ever gotten a package, open it and find your special item wrapped a long sheet of bubble wrap? Ever pop the bubbles? Well this website lets you pop some virtual bubble wrap bubbles. Have an endless supply of bubbles to pop. Have fun. www.Virtual-BubbleWrap.com Tip of the Month Keep a separate clothes hamper for each member of your family. Then have each person, if able, bring their hamper to the laundry area when full. This should help cut down on lost socks, favorite shirts, etc. Plus it teaches life skills to all ages. Great Site http://www.AnySoldier.com This site lets you sign up to send care packages to soldiers overseas. Each soldier or group will list the items they need or would like to have, and you can sign up to send them a package with some or all the items. My kids and I are working on a care package now. We are also including a homemade sign from my kids to say "Thank You". Please support our troops :) What's Ahead Next newsletter will be out September 4, 2009. Important Information Please feel free to forward this issue in it's entirety to friends and associates. Anyone can subscribe for free: To contact us: Kimberly Shavatt HelpingMomsAtHome HelpingMomsAtHome@hotmail.com 449 Maryland Avenue Pasadena, MD 21122 To subscribe, change your information or unsubscribe please complete the form below or visit www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com To advertise in this newsletter visit http://www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com/advertising.html |
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