Painter Mommy

Fun stuff in the Everyday Life of a Busy Mom & Entrepreneur

PRODUCT REVIEW – Treasure Chest Craft by Melissa & Doug

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I won this cool craft, among other great things, in a Giveaway from Sweet Girl Boutique.?? This is a great idea for the kids to do on a rainy day.

It includes a small wooden treasure chest, an acrylic primary colored paint set, a paint brush, two tubes of glitter paint, and stickers that add the finishing touch.

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Here are my babies painting their treasure chests.? They were so into it, I couldn’t even get them to look up at the camera.? They painted those things until all the colors blended together and the paint started to look like mud.? LOL

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And here is the final outcome!? Boy were they proud!

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I definitely recommend this product.? It was fun for both me and my children.? I was happy, because it actually kept them occupied for longer than 5 minutes.? I think they were painting for a good 20 minutes straight!? This definitely ranks up there with playdo!

Oh, and you can purchase your own Mellisa & Doug craft set on Sweet Girl Boutique’s website for under $5.00.? How can you beat that?? They even have other paint sets – race car, piggy bank, heart box, and a picture frame.? Kids love to paint, so what better gift can you give them with everything all ready to go.

We Have a Winner!

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Lucky #13 !!!!!! Crafty Mama of 4 – Congratulations!!!

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I did have a winning number prior to this number, but unfortunately they did not follow the giveaway rules so I had to choose another winner.? 🙁

craftymamaof4 said:
“I already subscribe! I am going to use my Wii fit to loose weight in the New Year! NO more excuses!”

She will be winning a Custom Designed Twitter Background created by “yours truly”.? This Giveaway is worth between $25 & $45 (depending on how much detail is required.)? If anyone is interested in purchasing a Twitter Background, please check out my Virtual Assistant Site.

How to Keep Winter Gloves Organized

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My latest winter accessoriesI cannot take credit for this awesome Organizational Tip.? My mom was the one who shared this with me a couple years ago.? She is my mentor and also an organizational genius!

I have always dreaded Winter with small children.? It is so difficult having to bundle them up with coats, hats, scarves, and mittens.? And then once you get to your destination the kids take them off and they get thrown somewhere and many times lost – never to be found again (especially the gloves). I kinda wish they made them on strings like how they do for babies.

Anyway, once we get home after an outing, the hats, gloves and scarves get thrown all over the place.?? I used to have a big basket that I would put everything in.? But eventually when it was time to go out again, there would always be a glove missing.? I would go crazy trying to find it and then finally give up and let the kids go out without any gloves at all.? (I know…bad mommy I am…)

So, when my mom shared this idea with me, I was thrilled!

Has anyone ever seen these plastic chains with clips on them that you can get from the Dollar Store?

Well this was my answer to keeping our winter gloves organized in their matching pairs!? Here is a picture of our gloves hanging in our entryway.? I have three separate chains hanging on hooks that are attached to a mirror I have hanging on my wall.

As you can see each pair of gloves has its own clip.? When we come in the house I get the gloves hung up right away so they are always neat and organized.

What do you think of this idea?? I love it!!

photo credit: Winstonavich

REVIEW – Fisher Price Take Along Swing

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Thanks so much to everyone who shared their thoughts on my post about using a nose aspirator on a baby.? It really helped me so much!? Jaden is doing much better today, though he still has a bad cough.? We are actually going to take him to the doctor in the morning to make sure all is well.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this picture that I took of the baby tonight in his swing.? The baby spends most of his time there.

I bought this swing back in 2004 when I had my first child.? I am now using it with child #3 and it is holding up wonderfully.? It still looks brand new!? I think I bought it for around $60 back then.

The seat has a soft removable cushion that is machine washable.? I have washed it quite a few times and the colors are still just as vibrant as when I bought it.? It has a music feature that you can turn on or can actually be activated by the baby’s movement.? I love the volume adjustment knob, because I often get tired of hearing the music while I am working, so I can turn it all the way down.? It also has lights that work with the music.?? Jaden get mesmerized by the 4 primary colored lights – it is cute.

The swing feature has 8 different speeds.?? As the baby grows and puts on weight you need to turn the swing to a higher setting so it can swing faster.? My boy is a chunker already, so I almost have to turn it up all the way.? LOL

But my favorite part about the swing is that it is portable.? It has a handle on the top so you can transport the baby from room to room.?? It is probably not recommendable to do this while the baby is in the swing, but I actually do (don’t tell anyone – LOL) Another great portability feature, is that It folds up flat so you can just pop it in your car and take it with you wherever you go.?I do this when we go to my mothers or visit friends.

I did some research and found that my particular swing is no longer being sold, but there is an even better replacement called the Fisher-Price Aquarium Take-Along Swing.? It has even more features than mine does, so I am a bit jealous… but I am not going to go out and buy another one, because mine still works great!

So, mama’s, if you or anyone you know is about to have a baby, make sure you purchase this wonderful baby swing – theFisher-Price Aquarium Take-Along Swing !!

Is it OK to use a Nose Aspirator on a Baby?

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I have three children who have all been sick over the past several days.? It started with my son who is 4, then passed to my daughter who is 3 and now both me and my baby boy (2 1/2 months old) are fighting it.

It kinda made me laugh in the hospital, after I had the baby, and the doctor said to try and keep my other children away from the baby when they are sick.? I honestly tried over this past week to keep everyone separate, but the more I tried – the more my other 2 wanted to touch and kiss the baby – runny noses and all.? Every hour I would catch my son leaning into the baby’s swing rubbing his yucky nose against the baby’s face.?? I mean it was inevitable that the baby would get sick!

It is really horrible though.? My baby is sooo congested, he can hardly breath.? He is coughing & sneezing and it just about kills me to see such a tiny human being suffer.

My mom has been putting her 2 cents in (2 hours away – by phone) that I need to call the doctor and find out what to do.? She always makes a big deal about stuff and says that I am too lax when it comes to stuff like this.? I promised her that if the baby wasn’t better by Monday I would bring him to the doctor.

When I had my first child, the hospital sent us home with this bulb like thing that I found out later was called a “nose aspirator”.? I had no intentions of ever using it (just like the anal thermometer, but that is another story) until my little one got so sick at 4 months old and needed help getting the snot out of his nose.

Ziek Plezier

So, I have to admit, that YES I have used “The Bulb” on my children on more than one occasion.? Now that my 2 older ones can blow their own noses, it has been nice not having to worry about “The Bulb”.? I put it away quite a while ago until my husband told me that I needed to get it out yesterday and use it on our new baby.

Boy do I hate that thing!

How the heck do you use it?? How far do you stick it in their nose?? What direction should it be pointing – back?? up?? I never can get the thing to work right!? After much struggle yesterday afternoon, as my husband looked on and the baby was screaming bloody murder – finally – frustrated and at the end of my rope, I tossed “the bulb” to my husband and told HIM to do it.? And of course, he cleared the baby’s nose without a problem.? Go figure!

So, the reason I am bringing this up, is because I am wondering how you all feel about this torturous tool – the Nose Aspirator.? Are you FOR it?? or AGAINST it?

Please take some time to comment on your own experiences.? Maybe I won’t feel so bad if you all feel the same as I do!? LOL

Oh and please vote!

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Is it Possible to Keep all the Toys Organized?

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I was inspired today by a post that I read on www.pinklikethecolor.org written by Laura (@MomPink).? She was asking for organizing tips for her home, one being how to organize all the toys after Christmas.

I can definitely relate with this issue.? I WISH we had a separate playroom for all the kid’s toys, but unfortunately we have to use part of our living room as a playroom.? So, I have had to get pretty creative when it comes to keeping things organized.? And with three small children the abundance of toys is endless.

In response to Laura’s request for ideas, I would like to answer her by sharing how I have used plastic bins as a means to keep everything in order within my home.

I bought around 20 plastic storage bins from the Dollar Store and I use them to keep each toy category in one place.? The trucks go in the truck bin.? The trains go in the train bin.?? The small stuffed animals go in one bin – and so on.? And at Christmas, I go through the toys and get rid of the ones the kids don’t use to make room for the new ones.

TIP – Sometimes, I just put the toys away in a closet and pull them out several weeks later after the kids forget about them.? When I pull them out, the kids get excited all over again as if they were new.

Here are a few pictures of my “playroom corner” in the living room. (Don’t mind the UGLY mauve carpet)? LOL

It may look a bit busy to you, but it functions beautifully.? I only allow my children to take one thing out at a time (sometimes 2 or 3 depending on what it is) and when they are done with whatever they are playing with – I have them put it away and then they can take something else out.? Everything has a place.? My kids know exactly where each thing goes and when I ask them to clean up – they (usually) put the toys back in the right spots.

The bins are very helpful with this.? I use both the stackable storage bins, which I had gotten from a local pharmacy store called CVS.? That was a couple years ago and I have not been able to find them since.? So if anyone happens to see these anywhere, please let me know!

I also use the dollar store bins to keep the smaller items in.? This way the kids can take the bin and bring it onto the floor to play with whatever is in it.? It also makes it easier to clean up.

I would love to hear your tips and ideas as well.? Be sure to comment!

Organizing Your Home: Decluttering Solutions and Storage Idea

The Blogger’s Survey RESULTS are in!!

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Thank you to those of you who took part in the “Blogger’s Survey”.?? I had 45 people participate and I am very excited to share the results with you.

I did jump the gun though on this one though.? I should’ve researched first to find the best way to offer a survey.? Instead I used a Google Docs “Form”.? It is definitely a great tool to use.? I often use them as Contact Forms for my various sites.? But in this case, I would’ve rather found something that would do the survey calculating for me.? I printed out all the results and calculated everything by hand.? Maybe you can better appreciate my efforts now that you know this.? LOL

I did find a program (after the fact) that I will most likely use for future polls or surveys.? It is called PollDaddy.com.? If any of you “blogger’s” out there have any other suggestions for good survey or polling sites, please leave me a comment!? I could use your help!!

Anyway, (drum roll please), here are the results of the survey!? I will post the number of people who checked on each particular one.

Illustration by Carlos Castellanos ? 2008

What is your favorite thing to blog about?

18 – Business
19 – Family
7?? – Giveaways
2?? – Holidays
10 – Technical Stuff
11 – Baby / Children
5?? – DIY
19 – Everyday Life
12 – Creative Stuff

Other: (These are things that people came up with)

  • Saving money
  • Health advocacy
  • Humor
  • Politics
  • Human behavior, personalities
  • Work (but not business)
  • Sexuality
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition

Why do you subscribe to a blog?

41 – The subject interests me
13 – Business networking
23 – Building virtual relationships
8?? – Signing up for Giveaways

Other:

  • Make it easier to see new posts

Do you visit the blogs / sites of those who comment on your blog?

42 – Yes
0?? – No

Other: maybe, usually, sometimes

Do you answer your comments?

27 – Yes
2?? – No
12 – Only when people write something directed to me

Other:

  • If the comment inspires me
  • I try to
  • Sometimes
  • I try to do so regularly but it doesn’t always happen
  • I would like to

What is your favorite means of social networking?

42 – Twitter
5?? – Ning Groups
8?? – Forum
18 – Facebook

Other:

  • ETSY
  • Blogging
  • Blog following & commenting

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Well folks, so there you have it!

Here are the WINNERS under each category:

Favorite thing to blog about – Everyday Life, Family, & Business (they are very close in numbers)

Why do you subscribe – The subject matter interests me

Do you visit blogs of those who comment – Yes (wins by a landslide)

Do you answer comments – Yes

Favorite social network – Twitter!!!!? (Of course, how could it not be??)? LOL

Were the results what you expected??? Please share your thoughts with us!

Where is Santa on Christmas Eve?

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I found this fun website through my Twitter friend @naomadoriguzzi.? Santa and his reindeer are being? virtually tracked on Christmas Eve as he travels the world giving gifts to all the children.? You can even watch short news clips of him as he flies over the pyramids in Egypt, through the Alps in Germany, past the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and much more.? When I last checked he was in Guinea.? Find out where he is now!

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