Saturday, March 31, 2012

Mommy Time!

One of my other passion is making sure us mommies are being supportive and getting mommy time! It is very important that you as a mom or parent get that time in. How can you take care of your family if you do not take care for yourself? Whether, it is taking 15-30 minutes of quiet time, going to the salon/spa or just going to the doctor, take care of yourself!

For me lately it has been hard to get my "Me Time" in. Being 30 weeks pregnant with a 7 and 4 year-old, who are boys...I am always exhausted! But I try to get my "Me Time" in. I may schedule a girls night or a date night with the hubby. When I start to get a little frustrated I know it is time!

Find a moms support group...I am part of one and it is great! A meet up group or a good book to read. If you are in the Chicagoland area, attend a TKC Trading Party where you can connect with others moms while trading your children's clothes. It is always pleasant to learn something new from another mom.

Well, that is my spill for today. I feel a nap coming on!

This would be a great "Me Time" activity!
~DQ

Monday, March 19, 2012

How To Make Your Children's Clothes Last Longer...Laundry Tips

Wouldn't you like for your child's clothes to last just a little bit longer? Of course you would!
Let me give you some tips on what I do to get my child's clothes to last.

Here they are....

  • Wash dark clothes or all in cold water
  • Wash button-down shirts, polo, graphic tees, sweaters and all gentle clothing on delicate cycle and hand dry. Sweaters should lay flat to dry. 
  • Switch your dryer setting to delicate temperature 
  • Fabrics such as fleece and polyester should be wash inside out
This shirt has been pass down 3 times
and will pass down again. 
Using these tips for many years, the clothes that I pass down are in very good condition and looks true to size. It doesn't hurt to try! At the bottom of  
my blog is the non-toxic way to remove stains. It's all toxic-free in my house. 

Do you have any tips? Would love to hear them!

~DQ

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Thank Goodness For Hand-Me-Downs!

So, Tyler my youngest son saw that it was wet outside and decided he needed his rain boots. The last time I checked their was a hole in one of the boots and I told him that he should't wear them.  Of course, he says to me, "Well, I need a new pair." I replied, "Ok, Tyler let me see what I can do." Tyler already knew what style of rain boots he wanted, the color, size and design. Did I mention he is only four? Later, while eating breakfast we were searching the web for sales for new rain boots. He was specific that he wanted red fireman rain boots with only a small amount of yellow... his two favorite colors which sounded like the pair he already had. After checking out a couple of stores online and no luck we came across one website with many choices. Tyler saw more than he could handle, he even asked for two pair.

Here is where I was saved... I have an oldest son and of course TKC. I never buy Tyler much. I knew their were a pair of rain boots in our fantastic bin of clothes Tyler will eventually grow into but I thought that they will be too big.  I said, Tyler go get your rain boots and try them on and I went to dig up the other ones. And after all that, his rain boots were pretty much too small and he could fit the other pair I found. No, they do not look like the rain boots he wanted but he didn't ask any questions about it. He said "these are nice...they have spikes", with excitement..lol

Saying all this to say, always double check before you make a purchase. Remember the three questions, is it really needed? Can I find it cheaper someone else? Can I get it for free? Our children always want what they can't have and at the end of the day all he wanted was a pair of rain boots and that's exactly what he got.


old rain boots













new rain boots

Monday, March 12, 2012

What Do You Do with Your Children's Clothes?

How much money do you spend on your child's clothes? Are you the parent that shops at high end departments store? After your child has outgrown those clothes you purchased, what do you do with them?

Our landfills our covered with billions of textiles we throw away and most importantly thousands of dollars  a year is being spent on items our children will only where a couple of times, if that! Our children grow so fast. I have to say that right after I purchase a new wardrobe for my oldest child, the next two months he can't fit them anymore. Yes, I must admit I am a recovering shopaholic, before my second born, I did buy a lot of unnecessary things for the only child and we are all guilty of that. However, I found someone to past those clothes down to and thankfully when I had the next baby boy I got those clothes back with more.

Becoming a mother...stay-at-home mother with only one income, made me look at things from another light such as how we spend our money, what we are spending our money on and planning for the future, which is our children. At the end of the day our children will not remember all the materialistic things we give them but they will remember the quality time we as parents spend with them and that is priceless!

So, before you purchase something new for your child whether it is clothing or toys. Ask yourself, these three questions. Do they really need it? Can I get this cheaper somewhere else? Can I get it for free? I guarantee your answer will be yes!

Save your time, your money and our environment today!
~DQ