My Life, My Children

I belong to SheSpeaks. Have you heard about it? It is basically a sharing network. You sign up on their website and tell them a bit about yourself. Then they match you with products. You get to try the product at home and then comment about it and share the info with your friends and family. Often times you get coupons to share. It basically is a new form of social advertising through word of mouth. So, if you are interested in trying new products for free, this site is for you.

The sign up is free. I have already tried a few products. They fill the gamut from beauty products to groceries. Many I have tried, I would buy again and have. I really haven’t had a product I didn’t like yet.

http://www.shespeaks.com

Free Gum!

Stride is offering each household while supplies last, a free pack of gum. Visiting their website, The People vs Stride you get to play a “legal” game and either settle or sue. If you settle, you can register for a free pack of gum and choose from the following flavors, Sweet Berry, Sweet Cinnamon, and Always Mandarin. If you sue, you can try for a cash award. I ended up with the free gum, which is why I tried the site anyway! I ordered the Sweet Berry, it is flavorful, true to it’s standing, it does hold it’s flavor for a long time. After trying it for free, I would buy it again and possibly try a different flavor. I wish they made a mint version. But visit the site for your free sample. They suggest 4 - 6 weeks for deliver but it seemed like mine arrived quicker. Enjoy!

http://www.thepeople-vs-stride.com

My sister left me a message the other day, CVS was having a 75% off sale. After dinner was over, I left the kids with my husband and ran out to two local CVS stores. Here is what I found.

Swim goggles - 23 cents originally $2.35 (approx)
Kids croc type shoes - $1.99 originally $7 (approx)
Beach umbrella (we use it near our sandbox) - $1.99 0riginally $19.99
Huggies swim diapers - 89 cents originally $8.99
Kids snorkel - 59 cents originally $5.99

Most of these deals were 90% off. Many of their school supplies were 75% off like notebooks and backpacks and scissors. I bought a few notebooks.

Visiting two different locations, I found the deals to be slightly different. The products were different too. So, you might want to visit a few different locations if you happen to have them in your town.

Sometimes the simplest things are profound. Do you know what I mean? I recently read a tip that sounded so simple it hit me as stupid. Then I tried doing it and voila! I have been doing it ever since. It saves me time and energy doing one thing I hate to do, empty the dishwasher.

The tip: place like items together in the silverware bin so that putting them away is easier. Sounds stupid I KNOW! But I tried it. And guess what, it works. It is so simple but so true. Now I place all the forks together and the spoons together. I can grab them by the handful and put them away in the drawer.

I will add that my dishwasher has slots for individual utensils. This is important. If I were putting them in an open bin together, they may stack or stick together. My dishwasher keeps them separate but near each other. You may want to consider this point when loading your dishes.

Here is a list of my favorite craft websites that I enjoy visiting for ideas and materials.

For shopping, I have to go with the big ones.

JoAnn
I enjoy JoAnn for craft items and recently for fabric. I just bought a new sewing machine. I didn’t buy it at JoAnn’s although I did go their first. They didn’t have a great selection and a lot of boxes but no machines. I researched online and actually found the machine I liked at Walmart. Which is another great place for craft items and fabrics. The machine I bought was a Brother SE350 which is a cross between an sewing machine and an embroidery machine.

Hobby Lobby
A great craft store that is within 5 miles of my house.

Michael’s
Another great craft store. I especially like the dollar items and craft kits they carry for children.

So those are actually brick and mortar stores that also have a web presence. Their websites are as important as their stores are. I also enjoy a handful of other sites for inspiration, tips and tricks.

www.threadbanger.com

www.diynetwork.com

www.hgtv.com

www.instructables.com

The above sites all have tips as well as projects outlined. The best part is videos showing hands on examples. If you know exactly what you are looking for, you can also search on u-tube for videos explaining how to do the craft you desire to learn.

If you have other sites you visit on a regular basis, I’d love for you to share them with me in the comment area below. And, thanks in advance!