WFMW - Sharpie Power!

I carry a Sharpie marker in my purse. At all times. I cannot begin to tell you handy it is ~ most often it's used to label water bottles or soda cups (you know, because we simply can't cross-contaminate with boy & girl germs! :) but it seriously has made many little tasks easier. I've even been known to cover scuff marks on my black dress shoes... but what else are you supposed to do when you notice the offense right as you pull into the church parking lot?!

More WFMW tips here!

WFMW - Sugary Cereals

Ah, those delightful cereals loaded with sugar & artificial colors. I know of several families that do not allow them at all, and while I do try to avoid most processed junk, this is one area where we bend the rules a bit. So here's how it works in our family.

Friday is fun cereal day. After a busy week, I love that when Friday rolls around the first meal is a no-brainer :) The kids are each allowed one bowl of scrumptiousness -- but of course I can't give it to them "as is." No, it gets the mommy treatment first. I mix the super sugary stuff with other varieties - here you see fruity pebbles and rice krispies. Other popular blends are cocoa or peanut butter puffs with kix, and cinnamon toast krunch with Special K (my personal favorite!). And let me add that I combine the 2 cereals as soon as they come home from the grocery store - I dump 'em out into a big bowl, mix, and pour into rubbermaid containers so that the kids can get it themselves.

So what works for you? Lots more good stuff over here.

Works for me Wednesday - Displaying Kids' Artwork

Our son & daughter both manage to crank out a lot of art projects. They, of course, are proud of their creations and want them on display... I want to encourage them, but also have a hard time getting excited about accessorizing every room in our house with construction paper.

My solution: the art wall! This space is in our dining area, right by the back door. We spend a lot of our time here, but it's not the very first thing you see when you walk in our house. The kids know that this is where stuff has to fit - and if they have a new masterpiece to share, then we need to decide what will be coming down. All it took to create was six nails, a few feet of jute twine, and some clothespins. I considered decorating the clothespins with paint, ribbon, or patterned paper, but in the end decided to leave them plain because I didn't want to detract from the kids' creations.

Click over to get some other great "works for me" tips!

Random Reading

Just browsing around the blogosphere this past week, and came across some articles.

• Are we inadvertently changing the Word of God by making Bible stories "age appropriate"? I've thought of this as I'm reading to the kids from their Kiddie Bible (which REALLY condenses things) and also as I prepare lessons to teach at church. Read a bit more about that here (and there are some good comments, too).
• We aren't raising children - we're raising ADULTS. We want the darling little people to grow into functioning members of society right? Well here's a handy resource that lists out age appropriate chores.

(both of these sites were found through "Fun Finds for April" over at Making Home. There's plenty more to explore over there if you have some time)

We're all still looking for ways to stretch a buck, right? Some good tips here. Or take it to another level, and think about this.

Working on becoming a Titus 2 woman? Thoughts on what it means to love our husbands here.

Read this quite awhile ago, but don't think I ever shared the link: "Forty Things I've Learned in Life"

And finally, just for laughs, dive into some vintage cookbooks here.

The Holidays are coming!!

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just over two weeks away? And I know you've all been seeing the Christmas decorations at the stores. I swear they're put out the same time as the Halloween candy! Anyway, I try to purchase gifts throughout the year so that it doesn't drain our December budget. We do have a few more things to purchase, but I thought I'd pass on some of my favorite sites that have helped us stretch our dollars.

• Silver Jewelry Club - a great place to pick up nice quality jewelry for bupkes; you pay just $5.99 shipping for each piece. The choices update each fifteen minutes, so I just click on it a few times a day or week (depending what I'm looking for). They offer a WIDE variety of styles, and I've purchased everything from a necklace for grandma to funky earrings for our teenage niece.
• Fetch Book - just enter the ISBN of the book you're looking for, and they'll tell you where it's cheapest. Particularly helpful if you're looking for something that's out-of-print. Two years ago, I was hoping to find the complete "Thomas the Tank Engine" stories. It was going for over $40 on eBay, but I found it for around $12 (shipped!) through this site.
• half.com - it's now affiliated with eBay, but you can usually find better deals here. You can find music (wouldn't your brother love a CD of that album he used to listen to in high school?), books, and video games. Plus shipping is a set amount per item (and decreases if you purchase multiple items from a single seller), so you don't get gouged. I just purchased the eyetoy (which will be our kids' "big" gift for the year) along with five games for less than the suggested retail of the original package. Hint: shipping is media mail, so shop early to make sure you receive your package in time.
• Budget 101 Gift Mixes - this site is a perfect source for ideas when you want to give a little something to neighbors, teachers, etc. but can only spend a few dollars.

Lastly, don't forget about the clearance aisles at the local stores! Why not pick up some halloween costumes to create a dress-up box? And I always seem to find fantastic deals at Target (read a bit more about that here). Seriously, people, you can find nice - and thoughtful - gifts without spending hundreds of dollars.