We know that your kids are already for class thanks to Best Tools For Schools, but Moms, make sure to take this opportunity to save some cash for yourself too.

Many items are available at great prices right now.  Just because you’re not going Back to Class or Setting Up a Dorm doesn’t mean you can’t use these cost savers for your own home.  Here’s a list of items that you should stock up on while the prices are low

Printer paper

Writing utensils

Printer Ink

Laptops

Storage containers

Closet organizers

Waste paper baskets

Bath Mats

Shower Curtains

Bedding

Desks

Calculators

Alarm clocks

Thermos

Re-useable Waterbottles

Wire folding clothes dryers

Dish sets

Use the cash you saved for one of those cute purse-like lunch sacs & you’ll be heading back with SO MUCH CLASS!

In my household there is myself and my 11 yr old son. Looking at his age you can guess that I have a big eater living here.  I’m at a point where my son eats more than I do.  When we go for fast food the price ends up being around $18 for the 2 of us.

When we’re not in such a RUSH and want to go out to eat I wait for a KIDS EAT FREE DAY.  In my neighbourhood that’s Mondays at East Side Marios.  Although he has to order off the kids menu, he gets to eat all the bread he wants because I get a main dish with unlimited salad and bread (still can’t convince him he’d like the salad too). He gets a small Chocolate Milk with it, but I also get a big glass of ice water for him (and he usually finishes off my Ice Tea as well). After all of that, he gets a mini dessert to finish off the meal and he leaves feeling full. Our bill comes to $21 which is only $3 more than the fast food and  I usually have leftovers for the next day!

Sure, you have to figure in the tip cost, but there’s a good chance you enjoyed the dishes served on a warm plate instead of a piece of deli wrap.  Want my other East Side Marios tip?  Ask for 2 loaves of bread when you order so you don’t have to wait for them to come back to get another helping of it.

Not sure when & where KIDS EAT FREE DAY is in your area?  Just Google ‘Kids Eat Free’ and the name of your city & I’m sure you’ll find the results you’re looking for.

Image credit: Flickr

This is a short and sweet (and of course handy) tip for you. It’s about finding your way home! In other words never say “Hey, where did I park?” again. 
Shopping malls, parking garages, amusement parks etc. have so many parking spots and at the end of your stay you don’t want to have to search high and low for your vehicle.  The easiest way to find your vehicle is your camera (digital or cell phone).  

When you hop out the car just take a picture of the parking spot number.  If they aren’t numbered, take a shot of landmarks around it (ie. light post #2, or 3rd level on the parking garage).  When you get back to your mode of transportation, just delete the pic.  Sometimes it’s the little things!

Image credit: Flickr

I have one and you should too.  How many times have your friends said at the last minute ‘hey, want to head to the splashpark with the kids?  I’m going in an hour.’
 
So for the next 1/2 hour you are scrambling for swimsuits, towels and snacks and then you end up there all frazzelled and notice you didn’t bring the sunscreen?
 
That is why you should have a daytrip bag.  Actually you need 2, but once they are set up, they are always GOOD TO GO!
 
You will set up both bags this same.  You’ll need 2 good sized duffel bags (or backpacks). In each put:

-Swimsuits for the whole family
-Towels for everyone
-Sunscreen
-Bug Spray
-Bottles of Water
-Snacks (ie granola bars or fruit snack packs)
-$20 cash (ice cream man that swings by won’t take debit)
-Hand sanitizer
-Band-aids
-extra set of clothes for each person (spills, mishaps etc)
-Large Ziploc bags (great for wet swimsuits, garbage, leftover snacks)
-tarp or felt backed table cloth (for picnic table or can be used as a picnic blanket)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             The reason you packed two bags is so that one goes with you and the other stays home.  When you get home from the daytrip you have another one ready to go while you’re still washing all the swimsuits, towels & clothing from the first daytrip.  Just keep switching bags and you’ll always be ready in an instant (well, after you’ve finished hunting down the camera and your car keys).

When you have both adults and kids in your home, sometimes it feels like you have to double up on all of your pharmacy items, which then clutter up your bathroom and cupboards. Want to keep all the bottles at bay? Then become a kid again! That’s right. You don’t need to buy doubles of everything. Use your kids’ stuff and you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank. Many items that are “kid branded” will work just fine for adults in fact I prefer using most “kid branded” items. They tend to have less chemicals & smell better. Here’s a list of kid-friendly items I buy for my son, but use for myself too

• Kids Polysporin. I prefer it, it’s not gooey like the regular Polysporin. It’s more like a toothpaste and it has some sort of sting relief
• Kids Sunscreen. They have really High SPF’s and are waterproof
• Children’s Kaopectate for an upset stomach. Chances are that’s all your stomach can handle so why give it a really strong dose when a small one will do
• OFF Skintastic Kids bug spray. There are fewer chemicals plus it smells like berries
• Kids dental floss. Ours tastes like bubble gum
• Kids bubble bath, in some cases, fewer chemicals and less perfumes (Depending on your brand)

Now there are a few things that we do have separate bottles for. Shampoo, because I wouldn’t think children’s shampoo would be formulated to take out all the gel & hairspray I put in my over processed hair. Toothpaste, because I think the kiddie ones taste too much like the fruity fluoride rinses at the Dentist & of course pain relievers because when a Mom has a headache, a child’s dosage won’t cut it.

So I hope these ideas help to clear some space in your bathroom & fatten up your wallet, but don’t be surprised if you see me with a Spider-Man bandage next time I get a paper cut.

Keep Smiling!

In this day and age, when you ask anyone a question, the answer you get back more often than not is “why don’t you Google it?”          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Yes, answers seem to be on Google.  Unfortunately, I can only find the answers to my son’s homework questions.  I’m what you would call a visual learner.  I’d rather see it happen than read about it.  That’s where I take things one step farther than Google and I tell people to YouTube it.        

                                                                                                                                 
You can learn how to do, make, bake, create and even resuscitate just by watching.  If you need to learn a skill just type in  “How to _______” or “____ demo” or “tutorial for _____” and I bet it’s there.     

                                                                  
Here’s a list of a few things I’ve learned from YouTube demos:
Makeup tips
First aid
Pet tricks
Hairstyles
Jewellery making
Demos on adding widgets to my blog
Cooking instructions
Quick tips for home repair
Answers to questions about my vehicle
Understanding food labels
Photography fixes

And truth be told, we also figured out how to finish a video game that my son was stuck on for months.  So as the saying goes … Seeing is believing! 

Lisa McDonald is mother to one son, works full time and part time, is an organizer of women’s group, & Co-Host of MeFest – so you know time management is TRULY important to her. 

You can always find Lisa on Twitter at @those2girls

*photo from Flickr

Most people have an` “Emergency Kit” for their vehicle.  You know the one.  It has a first aid kit, a blanket, flashlight, jumper cables etc.  My question for you is, are you fully prepared?  What if your vehicle didn’t break down, but instead your long weekend became even longer because you’re stuck in traffic?  Are you ready for that?  

Here are some JUST IN CASE items you should take along as well:
-Bottles of water
-Granola bars or something that can tide you over until your next stop
-Baby wipes – great for those in car spills
-Paper towels – see above
-A change of clothing – again see above
-Extra batteries or car chargers for music players/cell phones/laptops etc
-Travel pillows & blankets (the comfy kind, not those crinkly emergency blankets)
-Portable entertainment IE DVDs, deck of cards, magnetic travel games, hand held video games
-Sunscreen (daytime travel)
-Booklight (nightime travel)
-Large Ziploc bags – great for garbage                                                                                                                                                                     -A bit of cash (in case your next stop doesn’t take credit or debit)

These items won’t take up too much extra space & might end up saving you a headache.  Now that you’re all packed enjoy the VICTORIA DAY long weekend (& remember to take lots of pictures!)

Lisa McDonald is mother to one son, works full time and part time, is an organizer of women’s group, & Co-Host of MeFest – so you know time management is TRULY important to her.

You can always find Lisa on Twitter at @those2girls

Last week I had the pleasure of attending Kathy Buckworth’s book launch for her new novel Shut Up & Eat.  I knew the room would be filled with great energy & tons of camera flashes, but I wanted to make the event special for another reason.  Over the past year or so, I have formed friendships with the wonderful women who were in that room through Twitter & Facebook (including the owners of this site!) & felt that it required a celebration in itself!  Not knowing when I’d get to see all these ladies again I grabbed the opportunity to make the event timeless.  After having the author grace the front of my book with her signature, I grabbed as many of my pals as I could find to sign the back of my book.
Not only does this give me a reminder of the wonderful time I had at the launch, it also lets me know that all of my pals are reading SHUT UP & EAT right along with me.

Here’s some suggestions for other keepsakes of a gathering:
Guestbook
Scrapbook
Instant Poloroid pictures that the person can sign onsite
Matte from a picture frame
Blank T-Shirt with a supply of fabric pens for signatures
Sign or poster from an event with autographs
It’s soon time for Family reunions, company picnics & neighbourhood BBQ’s.  I hope these suggestions help to keep your memories memorable.

Lisa McDonald is mother to one son, works full time and part time, is an organizer of women’s group, & Co-Host of MeFest – so you know time management is TRULY important to her.

You can always find Lisa on Twitter at @those2girls

My Mother’s Day dilemma
Yes I’m a Mom who takes the day off on Mother’s Day, but I still never can decide what to get my own Mother for Mother’s Day.  This year I’m getting off easy, as she’ll be in Ireland, but really gift giving to my parents has been quite a chore lately.  They have a 4 bedroom house filled with stuff (not the Hoarders style, but still lots), & they are slowly downsizing.  Unfortunately their idea of downsizing is trying to give everything to me.  Luckily I have a 2 bedroom house without a garage so I have made them realize all of it can’t come here.  Yet buying for Mother’s Day has become difficult with this downsizing word looming over every conversation.  If you’re in the same situation as I am, try some great gift giving suggestions that my twitter pals & I came up with.
Gift Certificates for the local garden centre
An hour with an organizational maven
Treats
Take her out for brunch
Movie passes
Accessories
Digital camera cards

& my favourite tweeted tip was PACKING BOXES.  What can I say, I love ending off with a giggle!

To all the Moms, Grandmothers & Women who look out for others…
Happy Mother’s Day!

Lisa McDonald is mother to one son, works full time and part time, is an organizer of women’s group, & Co-Host of MeFest – so you know time management is TRULY important to her.

You can always find Lisa on Twitter at @those2girls

Although I love that I can accomplish so much, my housekeeping skills often end up at the bottom of my To-Do List.  Organizing your child’s sports schedules, your meetings, your errands list & your social life is one thing, organizing you desk is another!

In an effort to keep my workspace On Track I escaped to Ikea last week for some inspiration.

No I wasn’t looking for a closet configuration or the latest & greatest in book shelves.  I needed something to keep my papers in order.

I found the perfect mini filing cabinet.  Only as wide as a piece of printer paper & not very tall.  Perfect I thought, won’t be big & bulky & I won’t require a power drill & a step ladder to put it together.

Next I cane across a tiered wire basket system that I thought would be great for my bedroom for smaller summery items like tank-tops, shorts, summer pjs etc.  I looked & that was an even easier set to put together. So that was my big impulse buy.

I bought both & brought them home.  Because of a fully scheduled week, I decided one evening I would put the easier basket system together.  There’s one thing Ikea doesn’t tell you.  You should have an assembly buddy.  There I was trying to hold 2 sides of the rack up so I could hammer in the middle shelves.  Not pretty, but my stubborn mindset would not let me give in.  I grabbed 2 laundry hampers, leaned the sides of the soon to be assembled rack against each one & voila!  You know how they saying goes “if I had an extra pair of hands…” Well I felt like I just created them for myself.  Mission accomplished.

Score one for the little guy!

Now let’s see how the 2nd assembly goes this week.

Lisa McDonald is mother to one son, works full time and part time, is an organizer of women’s group, & Co-Host of MeFest – so you know time management is TRULY important to her.

You can always find Lisa on Twitter at @those2girls