Parenting Privileges

Parenting Privileges is an easy rewards program that earns you 20% in cash back rewards at over 100 of your favorite online retailers. You have to be a Parenting subscriber in order to take advantage of this free offer, however if you're not a member, you will get a 90 day free trial. Sign up here for a yearly subscription for only $1 an issue.

Cheap Movies!

Hurry! You still have until August 5th to take your children to see movies for only $1 at select AMC theatres. They are last year's films but you can't go wrong with Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa!

Save Money, Go Green!

Think before you buy
Find gently used secondhand products online at Craigslist or Freesharing before spending full price for anything.
Check out garage sales or thrift stores for clothing and everyday items. You may even consider trading items or clothes with a girlfriend. It may be old to them but it's new to you. Remember, one persons trash is another ones treasure!

Eat smart
Organic meat and eggs can costs a lot in stores. The best way to go is to purchase organic, humane meat and eggs locally. Most cities have a local farmers market that contain locally fresh fruits, veggies, and meats. Take advantage of that whenever possible that way you know what you're getting and you're keeping money in the local economy. Make local habit.

Skip bottled water
Buy a water purifier for your faucet rather than purchasing water in a bottle. Not only is the plastic bad for the environment, most plastic bottles contain BPA and it contains large amounts of container waste. Purchase a reusable water bottle and refill that daily if you need water for the car trip.

Make your own cleaning supplies
You can make very effective, non toxic cleaning supplies right at home. All you need are ingredients like lemon, vinegar, soda, and soap. Not only are you cutting costs, you are keeping the air in your home clean for you and your family.

Save gas, use the limbs that god gave you
I know this is hard to do if you live far away from work or have kids that you need to haul around with you but any chance you get, ride a bike (pull your child behind you), walk (put your baby in a sling, baby bjorn, or make them walk with you), jog (put your child in a jogger stroller), or commute to your destinations. Gas is horrible for the environment and very costly. Try to plan out your day and run all of you're errands at one time rather than taking 4 different trips.

Clip coupons
Yes, we all know that clipping coupons is time consuming but aren't you willing to sacrifice a little time and effort to save money for you and your family? Get your local newspaper ads, make a list, and clip those coupons! If you do this on a weekly basis and keep a folder of coupons, you end up saving so much money, not to mention free items from combining manufactured coupons, doubler coupons, and the coupons from the grocery store. Need help getting started? Frugal Chic Living is the way to start saving!

Save power
Want a lower electric bill? Unplug electronics even if you aren't using them. Replace old light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible, and during the summer, hang the clothes outside to dry, join Gift of Green's Clothesline Challenge today! Do your laundry at night, it's proven that you save on your bill by washing clothes in the evening. On hot summer days, make sure you close all of your windows and keep those blinds or curtains shut to keep the heat out so you use your air conditioner as least as possible. Never have your oven placed right next to your fridge! The heat from the oven causes the fridge to turn on and work harder at keeping your items cold. Trust me, I learned the hard way when I was renting a home and our electric bill wasn't very pleasant.

Lets make a difference by taking the time to live by these ways to go green! I know I would rather live a clean, organic life by taking the extra time to make sure my environment will be a clean one for the children of our future. Plus, wouldn't you rather spend your hard earned money on vacations, your children, and their future rather than gas, electricity, and unnecessary items?

Homemade baby powder (Talc-Free)

I absolutely love my homemade baby powder that my mother-in-law made for me. You can't go wrong with natural powder for that soft baby skin. Not to mention how much cheaper this is for a natural product. Here is the recipe that she gave me:

Natural Baby Powder:
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1 tbsp dried ground chamomille
1 tbsp dried ground lavender
1/4 cup finely ground oats

Blend well and put in a shaker style bottle. It makes me feel so much better knowing that only natural products are being used on my baby's soft skin.

High in the Sky Foundation

The father of my son, Matthew has been working very hard to become a helicopter pilot to live his dream while making money to support our family so I can stay at home with our child. He is currently a student pilot at Leading Edge Aviation with about 60 hours completed toward his license. In the beginning of this process he was told by a family member that he would have the funds and a cosigner to complete his career in flying. Circumstances have changed, as you know how bad the economy is right now, only part of his career in flying is completed with still many more hours to go. All we need is around 14,000 people to donate just $5 or even 35,000 people to donate just $2 to help my family's dream come true. Any extra money that is donated after we have reached our goal will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. You may donate by clicking on the button to the right of my blog OR you may contact Leading Edge Aviation and contribute under Matthew Busik's name. Thank you for making a difference for my family.

Natural Mosquito Repellent

Want to go camping but get discouraged from all of the mosquitoes? Make your own natural mosquito repellent without using those harsh chemicals on your skin. Going the natural way is cheaper and healthier for you and your baby.

There are a few different formulations you can make for your natural repellent. You are basically diluting essential oils that mosquitoes find distasteful. You will need to mix the oils with alcohol or other oils since oil doesn't mix with water. Make sure you use an oil and alcohol that is safe for your skin. Do not overdue the oils, as it may irritate your skin. If you are pregnant or nursing, do not use any type of repellent until you talk to your physician.

Natural repellent ingredients:
If you are making a large amount of repellent make sure you use 5-10% of essential oils so mix 1 part essential oils and 10-20 parts carrier oil or alcohol. For a smaller batch use 10-25 drops of essential oils and 2 tablespoons of carrier oil or alcohol.

Essential oils that work well against mosquitoes:
Cinnamon oil
Lemon eucalyptus oil
Citronella oil
Castor oil

Safe carrier oils and alcohol:
Olive oil
Sunflower oil
Any other cooking oil
Witch hazel
Vodka

Repellent recipe:
Mix the essential oils with the carrier oil or alcohol. Rub the natural repellent onto skin or clothing, making sure you do not spray it in sensitive areas. Re-apply every hour to hour and a half. Store the natural product in a dark bottle away from heat or sunlight.

Happy Camping!

Want to increase or decrease your breast milk supply?

I really found this website helpful for tips on increasing my milk supply naturally. Click here for natural remedies to help maintain a healthy milk supply. I also would like to recommend using powdered goats milk as a supplement if you still feel that your baby isn't thriving. You cannot substitute goats milk for breast milk since it doesn't have iron in it but you can supplement with it.

Too much milk? Are you ready to wean your baby off of your breasts? Click here to decrease your milk supply.