I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, crafter, and blogger living in rural New England. As seen in Martha Stewart Living, Food Network Magazine, and more! | Tutorials, DIY, crafts, parenting tips, recipes, money saving tips, product reviews, local product features, New England living, intentional living, and more! |
If you're not familiar with Pampers Rewards, you can check my previous post here for all the details - but essentially it's a program to earn free gifts for buying Pampers diapers! Our little girl has been really into "helping" Daddy build things lately, so we decided to get a tool kit just for her. | This post contains affiliate links |
The tool kit is by Melissa and Doug and we were pleased with how sturdy it is. Our daughter really put it to the test, whacking the whole thing all over with the wooden hammer but it still survived.
The kit contains a wooden wrench, screw driver, hammer, bolts/screws, nuts, "nails", and some pieces of wood with holes in it that you can screw or nail together or attach to the side of the tool box.
Miss M and Daddy have really been enjoying building with this set and we've even caught her "working" on her trains with the wrench - this Reward has definitely been a big hit!
Want to see what else we got from Pampers Rewards? Check out our other posts:
Last Friday we decided at the last minute to spend the weekend in Ogunquit, Maine - the weather looked great, my husband was itching to take some Milky Way photos, and it had been too long since we did a little family trip. It was also right before "the season" starts, which meant that there would be less crowds and cheaper hotel rooms (yes!). All-in-all as a family of three we spent less than $175 for the whole weekend, including the hotel room, so I would call that a huge success!
For hotel we stayed at The Beachmere Inn which is conveniently located right on the Marginal Way, a 1.25 mile scenic walkway following the edge of the ocean. Even though we were calling for reservations the day before, The Beachmere thankfully still had a few rooms available. We opted for the least expensive one ($100+tax, which was this particular room's preseason rate). It was a nice, modest room with a queen sized bed in the Victorian building of the hotel complex. This room didn't quite have the view that most rooms at the hotel have, but we didn't mind since we knew we'd be out walking most of the day and then to bed early with our little one.
The Beachmere Inn
The view from our private balcony.
To save a little extra money we packed our lunches from home for that first day. We got to the hotel around lunch time and since our room was ready they let us check in early (very nice!). We were able to enjoy our lunch on our own private balcony overlooking the great lawn of the hotel.
That afternoon was spent wandering up and down the Marginal Way and walking into town to explore some of the little shops and buy some delicious pastries at Bread & Roses Bakery. We highly recommend their Cinnamon Butter Puffs and our daughter was a big fan of the massive chocolate chip cookies bigger than her head (no surprise there).
Running along the ocean = perfection.
Mid-afternoon Daddy watched Miss M so I could get a training run in. I ran four miles along the Marginal Way and through the high-end coastal neighborhoods, and even did a short stretch of running in the sand on Ogunquit Beach. This run has to be the most fun and scenic I have done to date - why can't all runs be so pretty?
Dinner options in Ogunquit were a bit limited as it's still the "off season" (many seasonal businesses and seasonal rates start April 14th). So we opted to drive up the road a few minutes to the Moody Beach area and have dinner at Jake's Seafoodwhere we ate our weight in delicious fried seafood. The bill for the three of us came in at $40, which was a little more than we were expecting but splurging on fried food is pretty much a must-do of any seaside trip.
The views along the Marginal Way are breathtaking.
After dinner we went back to the hotel and played outside a bit before turning in early. Adrian was planning to get up at 3AM to capture some Milky Way shots as long as the weather cooperated. Luckily for him, the clouds held off and he was able to just walk off the hotel lawn and get some amazing Milky Way and sunrise shots (you can see more of his photos on his Instagram, @adrianpelletier).
The next morning we enjoyed a nice continental breakfast at the hotel. They had coffee, tea, cereal, bagels, fruit, and yogurt as well as selection of locally made donuts. (I had yogurt with granola and a very delicious Boston creme donut, because you know, balance.)
Bread & Roses Bakery - so much deliciousness!
After breakfast we walked back into town to do some last minute poking around and pick up more pastries from Bread & Roses to bring home, between our two trips here we spent about $20. Then we went to Ogunquit Beach to let our little one run around and play in the sand a bit. It was brisk but sunny and we pretty much had the whole beach to ourselves. After that we decided to check out a little early and head home to catch Miss M's nap, but if we had stayed in Ogunquit for lunch we would have grabbed some sandwiches from The Village Market, which looked yummy and reasonably priced and had a picnic on the beach or along the Marginal Way.
Overall it was a great, affordable weekend in Ogunquit. Lots of beautiful views, good food, exploring downtown, running and photo adventures, and, most importantly, some quality family time.
If you're not familiar with Pampers Rewards, you can check my previous post here for all the details - but essentially it's a program to earn free gifts for buying Pampers diapers! I usually try to save up our points for something big, but this time I decided to get the Potty Training Chart for our daughter which is one of their smaller rewards. | This post contains affiliate links |
Our little one is currently potty training and it's been slow going. She totally understands the concept and can be successful when she wants to, but usually chooses not to tell anyone that she needs to go and/or completely refuses to use the potty at all. We're hoping that a reward chart will help motivate her to see her progress and get rewarded with a special prize at the end.
We decided to hang the chart next to her little potty so she can watch her progress and see how close she is to earning that special prize. Some good reading material is important too, to help her want to stay on the potty long enough to finish her business (books pictured are: Potty Time with Elmo, Potty, and Counting 123).
Want to see what else we got from Pampers Rewards? Check out our other posts:
For a while now I've been striving to get better about meal planning, so a few months ago I designed this weekly planner to keep in our kitchen and see if it helped. After using this method for several months I'm happy to report that it has been a HUGE success and wanted to share it with all of you who may have staying organized, planning meals ahead of time, or reducing your grocery bill as goals for 2016!
This weekly planner can either be printed and written on directly - or you can print, frame it, and simply write on the glass to keep reusing it (which is what I have done). I love having it under glass because it means it's always on display and easy to refer to, and it saves a lot of paper and ink. I didn't include too many photos of it it in our kitchen because it was so hard to photograph.. the glare from the glass makes a decent photograph nearly impossible.
Pro-tip: Write on the glass with a Sharpie to avoid smudges, then erase with a little 91% rubbing alcohol.
To write on the glass, you can use a fine-tip dry erase marker or a Sharpie marker. I prefer the Sharpie because it writes cleaner and won't smudge.
"But how to erase it!" you ask?
No problem at all: simply put a little 91% rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and it wipes off with no problem and no residue.
Example
Every Sunday I sit down and first fill in all the daily "to-dos" for the week. These are things that have to happen that day, like appointments. This gives me a sense of what the week will look like and how much time I may have to cook dinner that day, etc. Days we won't be home means I don't have to cook (wahoo!). Because I lay it all out ahead of time I can plan ahead for groceries... leftover potatoes from Monday can be thrown into Tuesday's chili. The chicken I buy can be portioned out for dinner on Thursday and Friday. Planning ahead means less waste and saving money in the long run (and you know how hard I try to save money on groceries).
"Goals for the week" is where you put in projects and goals you can pick at over the course of the week when you get spare moments. I feel like this list makes me more motivated (and accountable) to be productive when I have down time.
Reusable Weekly Planner
{Download free PDF of our Reusable Weekly Planner HERE}
So that's my Reusable Weekly Planner! It's been a huge help to keep me more organized, more motivated, and save more money on groceries. I hope that it will be as helpful for you!
As you know, I'm all for shopping small and shopping local. But sometimes you just gotta be frugal too. These fashionable boot cuffs are crazy-cheap and a great deal wether you're buying one for yourself, a few stocking stuffers for your family and friends, or if you're looking for a little gift to get everyone in your department at work. Please note, prices on Amazon are subject to change. Prices mentioned in this post are what the product was listed at at the time of purchase. | This post contains affiliate links |
So where did I find these super-cute boot cuffs? Believe it or not - Amazon. Since we live over an hour from big box stores, Amazon has become our go-to for paper towels, cereal, and all the other pricey grocery basics. Lately I've also been turning to them for clothing and accessory needs rather then hoping in the car with the little one and making the long trip to the store.
While browsing Amazon for stocking stuffers several weeks ago I came across these amazingly cute (and cheap!) boot cuffs. I decided to order some to check them out in person but underestimated how long it would take to ship and they arrived after Christmas. Since they come directly from the manufacturer/distributor (overseas), it can take up to 1-2 months to arrive - so be sure to plan (way) ahead.
The first pair I tried were these cute knitted grey cuffs with lace and button detail. I loved the look and color of these and thought they looked great with my boots. However, I felt as though they were pretty tight. I have large calves and these just fit over my leggings - they certainly wouldn't fit over my jeans unfortunately.
These cuffs come in 6 colors and most are only $2.30/pair! They are not Prime eligible but shipping is very cheap as well.
The other pair I tried were these pretty white lace cuffs. These were super-stretchy and would fit most people with no problem. Adding this touch of lace is a great way to dress up just about any outfit!
These cuffs come in 12 different colors so you can match every outfit you own and only cost $0.87/pair - yes, really!! They aren't Prime-eligible either but shipping is very inexpensive.
While all the cuffs had some loose strings that needed to be trimmed and they didn't come in any kind of packaging to speak of, I was still really satisfied with the look and the quality of the cuffs. If you were to give them out as gifts, I would just recommend trimming the loose strings first and either wrapping them or rolling them and tying with a ribbon for better presentation.
Seventh Generation was kind enough to send us one of their Healthy Baby Home Party kits full of little free samples, coupons, and tips to share with our family and friends. I've been a huge fan of Seventh Generation for awhile now and was really excited to share them and this information with others. | This post contains affiliate links |
Our little one made good use out of the packing paper in the box and went to town coloring it up. That's one way to recycle! (Crayons are our own, similar ones linked here.)
A few years ago, before we started trying to get pregnant, I made the decision to switch over as many household cleaners, detergents, and soaps as I could to "cleaner," all-natural versions. There's so much chemicals and additives in most commercial products these days and I figured that it could only be beneficial to make the switch and limit our family's exposure to these things. One of the brands I switched to was Seventh Generation and I haven't looked back.
I've been a big fan of all the Seventh Generation products I've tried so far, but I have especially loved theirlaundry detergent and stain remover. In fact their Free & Clear Laundry Detergent was gentle enough that we found we didn't have to switch to expensive "baby detergent" when our little one was first born.
There were a lot of Healthy Home Tips shared during the party, but I wanted to pass on some of the ones I found most interesting here:
"Purchase toys made from natural materials, like solid wood with non-toxic finishes and natural textiles like organic cotton or wool. The familiar 'new smell' that plastic toys often emit can be a sign that toxic softeners or finishers were used to make the product."
"The term 'fragrance' or 'parfum' on the label of baby care products can represent hundreds of unknown chemicals since manufacturers are not required to disclose the ingredients. Whenever possible, look for products that use 100% natural fragrance for the scent or offer fragrance-free formulations to protect your baby."
"Indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air. Ventilate the home by opening windows, and limit your use of air fresheners and chemical cleaning products that release potentially harmful VOCs into your indoor environment."
- I received samples, coupons, and tips for myself and to share with others, but all opinions expressed are my own. Please see our Disclosure Policy for more information. -
We're celebrating Plaid Friday and Small Business Saturday all weekend long! Enjoy 20% off everything in our Etsy shop through midnight Sunday with the coupon code "20PLAID".
Quantities are limited at the moment, so shop sooner than later. Thank you all again for your support and shopping small!
Coupon code expires 11/29/15 at 11:59 PM EST.
UPDATE: Sale extended through Cyber Monday!! Coupon code now expires 11/30/15 at 11:59PM EST.
If you're not familiar with Pampers Rewards, you can check my previous post here for all the details - but essentially it's a program to earn free gifts for buying Pampers diapers! I've been saving up our points for awhile now and decided to turn them in for this great Little Tikes Shopping Cart. | This post contains affiliate links |
This rugged little shopping cart has been a huge hit with our little one. She's been pushing around her baby dolls and filling the cart up with anything and everything she can find, including blocks, shoes, and stuffed animals. It's been a great way to keep her busy and she's really enjoying "shopping" around the house.
And, of course the best part about it was it was free! I didn't even have to pay shipping, which was amazing (note: some items you do have to pay shipping for). I'm looking forward to ordering more free gifts.. just have to remember to keep entering my codes!
We purchased this great Baby Stella Doll from Amazon, but Pampers has a similar one as a Reward as well!
Want to see what else we got from Pampers Rewards? Check out my other posts:
