Apparently, this is the weekend to do your Summer shopping for the kids.  Yesterday we posted about the great savings at StrideRite and Gymboree that started today.  Now, we’ve found a 50-70% off Blow-Out Summer Sale at Osh Kosh.  Print this coupon to get another $10 off your purchase from May 8th - 14th.  You will also earn a $10 "Play Card" for every $25 you spend through May 21st.  Those are redeemable from May 22nd - June 8th. 

You better get going.  You have shopping to do.

So, we are coming quickly to the close of the school year and we have 4 birthday parties over the next 2 weekends.  Yes, next Saturday we will be hitting 2, one at 10 am and one at 3:15pm.  I think this will make birthday party #12-16 for us this year.  So many parties and what do you give each one?  Many of the kids are in Taylor’s class, so it’s not like we can pick a favorite gift and buy in bulk.  "Mommy, why does Taylor give all the kids the same gift?"  I can hear it now coming from all her classmates to their moms. 

Babies are easy for me.  I ALWAYS give baby jewelry.   Baby jewelry is a gift that is not that often given, so more than likely, it won’t be a duplicate.  It’s also something that most new moms won’t think of right away, so when they get it they will love it.  My absolute favorite baby girl gift is this Engraved Freshwater Pearl Baby Bracelet from PintSizeDiva.com.  Little pearl bracelets just look so sweet on those pudgy little wrists.  They have this baby bracelet in a 4" and 5" size.  For baby boys, I always do an Engraved Sterling Silver Pacifier Clip.  Again, not expecting it, but love it when they get it.  

Oops, I digress…these 4 parties are for 4 year olds, but I think I will still use the bracelet idea (at least for a couple of them)…I bought Taylor this adorable Swarovski Crystal Monkey Bracelet.  She absolutely LOVES it and treats it as one of her prized possessions.  She has had it for about a year now and has not lost it…which is a miracle in itself.  It has held up really well and I think these bracelets just may be the ticket.  Again, at PintSizeDiva.com, they have all kinds of cute designs to choose from.  I’m thinking the Butterfly will be the winner for Party #1 this weekend.

Here we go..off to Party-land…Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Tags: baby bracelet, children’s jewelry, baby jewelry, unique baby gifts

To be quite honest, I don’t remember when Taylor blew her nose for the first time, probably because I didn’t know how much easier it was going to be once she did.  We all know what fun it is to use the little sucky thing and saline drops!  That’s one baby activity that I won’t be sad to say goodbye to!  So, more power to ya little one, Mommy’s proud of you!  Keep using those tissues!

I am aware that so far this post has absolutely nothing to do with "Earth Week"  here at The Daily Mom, so let me throw this in for good measure…We found a cool website that will give you CASH for your unwanted cell phones and PDAs.  You know when you decide it’s time to renew your cell phone contract and can get that free phone, not like you need a new one since your current phone is only 2 years old, but you do it anyways?  What does that leave?  A drawer full of almost new cell phones that you don’t know what to do with.

In steps greenphone.com.  They will pay you via check or Paypal for your used cell phones and PDAs.  Hey, that beats collecting dust at my house.  You can search for your cell phone on their homepage where they calcualate how much it is worth and even give you a shipping label to send them in.  You should receive your payment in about 3 weeks.  Sounds easy to me.  I’m off to find all of my old phones.

Have a great night and enjoy those milestones!

Tags: baby milestones, earth day activity, cell phone recycling

In honor of Earth "Week" we are GIVING AWAY 3 FREE Pair of Organic BabyLegs ($40 value), courtesy of www.PintSizeDiva.com, to one lucky Daily Mom reader that sends us a simple and creative way her family is going green! 

Not familiar with BabyLegs?  Let me tell you they are the best invention of our time!  The are like baby leg warmers, but can be worn all the way up to school aged kids.  Both Taylor and Morgan wear them.  They were great for Morgan in the winter instead of regular tights because it made diaper changes so much easier.  How many times have you been in a tiny restroom at a restaurant on those nasty changing tables trying to pull tights up and down.  Ugghhh!  These were great!  They also protected her knees when she was still crawling, so no little boo boos on those pudgy knee caps.

Taylor wears the BabyLegs to school on those Spring days that start off cool and turn warm by afternoon.  She just takes the BabyLegs off and she’s ready to go.  Now if we don’t know what the weather is going to be like she says, "Mommy, should I bring my BabyLegs just in case?"  She even got creative one day and put them on her arms when she was wishing she didn’t insist on wearing her short sleeve shirt when it was 50 degrees outside.

This contest will run for 2 weeks.  Just send us a simple way that your family is saving the environment and we will enter your name in a drawing to win a 3 Pack of Organic BabyLegs FREE.  The winner will be chosen randomly from submissions on Wednesday, May 7th.   We will notify the winner by email.

Please send your idea to us at elaine@TheDailyMom.com

In your email please include your idea along with your name and city, state.

Good Luck!

Tags: Baby leg warmers, Free Giveaway contest, BabyLegs

1. Save electricity by turning off your lights
2. Give people your milk bottles.
3. Don’t throw you bubblegum on the ground.  (We have just recently started letting her chew Trident, so I thought this was too funny!)
4. Plant seeds to make pretty flowers.
5. Save Money in your Piggy Bank.
6. Give your old baby dolls to other people.  (Then she made sure to clarify that she didn’t want to do this one.)
7. Throw your trash away.
8. Clean up your toys.
9. Put your cups away.
10. Play with your sister.

So there you have it from a 4 year old, how to save the world!  If it were only that simple.  Maybe it is and all of us grown-ups just complicate things.  We should all just throw our trash away, recycle our unwanted things, do a little gardening, save some money each day, play with our loved ones, clean up our mess at the end of the day, turn off our lights and go to bed .  Easy as pie.

Have a good night!

Tags: earth day ideas, earth day kids activity, earth day celebrations

1)  Try a New Energy Saving Light Bulb.  Installing a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) is the quickest, easiest way to save energy. These bulbs use approximately 75% less electricity and last up to 10 times longer than regular bulbs.  One less thing on our to-do list…changing burnt out light bulbs.  Replace just one 75 watt bulb with a 25-watt CFL and save up to $75 over the life of that light bulb.  Hmmm…

2) Simple, yes, but conserve energy by turning off the lights in unoccupied rooms!

3) Unplugging for Cash.  Anything that has an LED (light emitting diode) that glows after you turn it off continues to burn energy, that you are charged for nonetheless.  Things like your computer monitor, TV, and even cell phone charger (which I know I leave plugged in all the time).  Unplug them from the wall or for an easier idea try the new Clever Strip.  This new power strip actually stops the current for you, so you don’t have to unplug it.  Can’t get any easier than that.  www.SMARTHOMEUSA.COM  $30.95
Want some cash?  Unplugging can save you up to $150-$200 a year on your electric bill!

4) Conserve energy by turning down the thermostat.  Bonus for you is that every degree you lower it between 70 and 60 degrees will save you about 5% on heating costs.  Studies have also shown that you get a better night sleep when it’s cooler too.

5)  Here’s a big one for us Daily Moms…lose the paper napkins and paper plates.  Just throw those cloth napkins in that Daily load of dirty baby clothes that you know you have to wash.  Hey, do even better and hand wash them and line dry (OK, that’s pushing it, I know).

6)  Buy in Bulk.  With Wal-Mart, Costco and Sam’s in all the major and most miner metros, it’s easy to buy in bulk these days.  It saves all the packaging in the individual packages from going into our landfills.  Plus a time saver for you…you can mark some of those items off your weekly trip to the grocery store!

7) Buy your produce from local farmers.  I think it always tastes fresher too…but I guess it would since it took a day to get to my store in Texas vs. 1400 miles from California.  Go figure.  To find your local farmers visit www.localharvest.org

8)  Turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth.  The average faucet puts out 3 gallons a minute, so if you are brushing for the recommended 2 minutes, you could save 6 gallons.  Turn off the water while washing pots and pans too.  I’m a bad girl here, as I tend to leave the water running while I scrub down the counters.  Just think how much I could be saving!

9) Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Did you know plastic bags take up to 1,000 years to break down?  When they ask you if you want paper or plastic, say nada, I brought my own!    Check out www.Kroger.com/bagdesign  and get a FREE Kroger reusable shopping bag when you submit a design.  The winner will win $500 and see your original design in stores!

10)  Talk to your kids about the beauty of the Earth every day and the importance of doing our part both big and small to help preserve it.
 

This Land is Your Land…This Land is My Land…

Have a Very Happy Earth Day!

Who is the Daily Mom?  Girls, it’s all of us!  We all have a million things to juggle at once while holding ourselves to (more than likely) unrealistic expectations to make everything PERFECT!  Our lives change forever the second that little bundle comes out screaming and I suspect that even when they are grown and on there own…until the day we die…we will not stop being an overprotective, worrisome, loving and doting mother.  My own mom reminds me of this all the time.

Some of my hopes and ideas for this blog are to provide a light and fun outlet for inspirational stories (we all need support sometimes), time-saving and creative ideas to help us through our busy days, family friendly QUICK recipes (because I know how much fun it is to try cooking dinner with a 1 year old and 4 year old running around and in between my feet), fun activities for our kids, great mom-friendly products and a special feature for mom-invented products.  I think I’ll also sprinkle a little bit of celebrity baby gossip too.  Keep a look out for special contests and free giveaways!

So as I begin this journey, I thought a good day to kick off would be to celebrate Earth Day, April 22nd, and what the heck, the Earth is pretty important to us so we will celebrate all week!

Have a Beautiful Day!

Tags: mom agenda, mom quotes, mom work from home, mom blog