Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Have we got some treats for you! Find deals on cupcakes and superhero capes, knowledge and meatballs.
Welcome back, my fair frugal friends. Are you ready for your next penny-pinching adventure? I mean, can you handle the vast amounts of deals and steals awaiting you in this week’s column? I have faith in you. You can do it. Remember, not just any sale makes it into Frugal Family. Only the best of the best can catch my eye, and believe me, thousands of deals audition each week. However, the few that make this list have undergone the scrutiny of a watchful and somewhat skeptical eye. My promise to you is this: They will save you a substantial amount of dough. They will add to your quality of life, even if only a sliver. And last but certainly not least, they will bring you utter and complete happiness and bliss. Okay, maybe I’m …
Saturday, March 12, 2011
I work and I stay-at-home. I'm a work-at-home mom. Will I ever find a perfect balance?
Finding balance as a work-at-home mom (who's never home might I add) can be extremely difficult at times, especially when I find myself having to reach out to others for help at times. Whether it's for childcare in intermittent spurts or the occassional visit from a housekeeper. I wasn't always a working mom. In fact, up until about a year ago, I was 100 percent stay-at-home. Granted I still was never home much, with running a mom's group and local community involvement, but the mentality was different. Our family epitomizes on the go. However, when I started my business last July, things changed. Now I find myself juggling the same responsibilities of staying home with the demands of a full time job and my other various volunteer …
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Parenting is a selfless, thankless job, but it doesn't mean you have to lose yourself in it.
The very first article I wrote for Patch was all about my identity. Many of us get so focused on being a mom, we forget to be a woman. The whole point of this column is to provide us with practical ways that we can get away from the monotony and chaos of motherhood and remind ourselves of our alternate identity. However, today, I want to go a bit more to the philosphical side of things. Seeking our significance and measuring our worth solely on the basis of motherhood can be a very dangerous road to travel. It can very rob of us of joy and true fulfillment. Let's face it, the rewards of parenting are not exactly instantaneous. In fact sometimes it can be downright defeating. It's about plotting a consistent path of encouragement …
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
We can't all afford premium pedicures on a regular basis, but that doesn't mean we can't have pretty toes.
Winter is almost over. I made sure of that back on Groundhog Day, though I can't reveal how or what I did. Regardless, it's coming to an end, which means it's time open toed sandals and my faves, flip flops. After being cooped up for months on end, our toes may need a little (or major in my case) makeover. Don't you think? Here's my suggestion. Grab a glass of wine, preferably white just in case you knock it over with your elbow. Put on some soothing music, unless you're the kind of person that relaxes to heavy metal. Climb into your comfy jammies and pull out a few necessities. Here's what you'll need: 1. Nail clippers, the big ones with a straight edge 2. Sugar scrub. Buy some or make your own. A good exfoliator works too. 3…
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
You don't have to leave your house to escape, but you do need a small space that's more organized than chaotic.
If you’re like me you crawl out of bed, get dressed and make your way downstairs just in time to greet the kids. Sometimes I leave my bedroom at 7 a.m. and don’t return until after my hubby is snoring. Most of the time I don’t even make the bed and I’m ashamed to say that my dresser has long since been a resting place for a week’s worth of clothing, jewelry and random assortments of change, receipts, and coffee mugs. It’s funny because the rest of my house can look more like organized chaos, but my own room is the first to be neglected. Isn’t that such a microcosm of how we treat ourselves? We put our wants, and sometimes our needs, dead last on the list of priorities. When was the last time you defined getting dressed as more than …
Monday, January 3, 2011
Making resolutions based on your present state of self-loathing is probably not the best idea.
I feel like I have a Christmas hangover. Actually, I think the whole family does. It's amazing how there is this two month build up and then poof, you're expected to go back to business as usual. Try telling that to three rambunctious kids who've become accustomed to late nights souped up on sugarplums and marshmallows served with a taste of hot cocoa. Granted I know it's my own fault, but who am I to deprive my children of all the traditions of the holidays? We're even rather conservative, restricting the amount of sweets and treats, reserving them for special occasions. Is it just me or does it seem like every day from Halloween to New Year's is some sort of special occasion? The sight of bulging hips and thighs prove that …
Monday, December 6, 2010
Come Sunday night, my house looks like it's been ravaged by a tornado. What is it about that 48-hour span that leaves me begging for Monday morning?
As I sat down in my living room to write this week's column, I suddenly found myself distracted by the large amounts of random clutter built up around me. Funny thing is that it doesn't look like this on any other night of the week. There's something about the weekend that simply lends itself to tornado- like conditions in every crack and crevice of this house. One would assume that the presence of an extra set of hands and the absence of the hectic work week would in fact lead to a cleaner, more manageable household. Yeah, not so much. Seriously, what's up with that? What is it about the weekend that causes moms everywhere to literally cringe? Most people dread Monday mornings, including my oldest son, who is harder to drag out of…
Cindy H
12:07 pm on Tuesday, April 5, 2011
You could use the coupon for capes, OR support a local business and buy a high quality cape from right here in Catonsville! http://www.elliebelliekids.com/cape.html (And the capes have a quick release clasp for safety because the designer is a Mom too.) more ›