March 18, 2005

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Chloe - Beautiful White CatThis isn't a tip it's a pet picture. My cat's name is Chloe. She's about 4 years old and is the most beautiful cat I've ever seen. I have hundreds of pics of her so it's hard to pick one. By Dave

Addressing Postcards Before You LeaveWhen going away on a long trip, I always like to send postcards to friends and family at home. Instead of lugging an address book around. I write all the addresses out on a sheet of blank address labels.

First Aid Kit for Diaper BagTo make a first aid kit for your baby's diaper bag, take a cleaned out peanut butter jar, then put your tylenol, band aids, bottle of mommy aspirin, bee sting pen, alcohol pads, etc. inside. This is quick to locate and keeps the bag neater looking. By Melanie

Keeping Track Of Your Vitamin SuppliesBy purchasing vitamins and minerals on sale and clearance, I soon ended up with a bag full that I had to empty out each time when searching for a desired item.

Beautiful Engagement CakeI am a cake decorator. This cake is my favorite cake and it was a huge hit. This was for an engagement party. I am doing the wedding cake, but bigger and more elaborate.

Cleaning With AlcoholInstead of spending money on high priced cleaners, to clean stainless steel appliances. Use plan old alcohol.

Bacon Quiche TartsPreheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups.

Stale Bread For French ToastI cut stale bread up into chunks and put it in the freezer. When the ziploc bag is full, I make a batch of oven french toast!

Bathroom Necessities Bag for Road TripsWhen traveling long hours on the road it is usually necessary to use Rest Stop Bathrooms. The following items will assist you well in having a cleaner, more pleasant experience on your stop. Carry the following in a small tote or toiletry bag:

Ripening AvocadosEveryone knows of how to keep an avocado from browning but I found out a lot of people don't know how to make it brown. Ripen that is. I find that if you set it on your windowsill for a day or 2 it will soften to touch instead of waiting about a week for it to ripen in the refrigerator.

What Are They Selling? Helping Your Kids Say "No!"Do you ever feel helpless in the face of the massive advertising campaigns directed at your children?

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Joining Curves In MarchIf anyone was considering joining 'Curves for Women' (the 30 minute exercise - gym for women only, but haven't for what ever reason, check out http://www.curvesinternational.com.

Dusting CrystalHate to dust and rewash crystal constantly? Here's a simple way to achieve great results. Wash the item with plain water (if very dirty add vinegar to water). Dry immediately, making sure that the item is spotless.

Tips For Expecting MomsDon't waste money on special diaper disposal systems. Start saving the plastic bags that newspapers come in and when you have a stinky diaper, put it in the newspaper bag, tie a knot and put it right in the regular trash. Make sure to carry some in the diaper bag also for when you are out.

No Amber Alerts For YouWhen my sons were younger, we had rules for them.

Cool Heads and Warm HeartsIf you've ever struggled making the right decision, you may appreciate this story:

Googling for CouponsBefore shopping online I find it best to google for a coupon on the store site I wish to visit.

Chill Your Cake LayersPut your cake layers in the freezer for an hour or two before frosting them. They will firm up and won't crack and crumble when you apply the frosting.

Countertop Paper Towel HoldersInstead of rollers attached to the wall for paper towels, Saran, etc., use paper towel holders on the counter top, under the sink, or in cupboards and closets.

Use Hand Cut-outs To Teach NumbersTo teach my little ones the concept of numbers I did the normal counting beans and other objects. A fun thing we did as a craft and a lesson was this. We traced both hands on construction paper and cut them out. Then we traced these several times and cut them out. I would have the child take one cut-out hand, and show me how many fingers we needed for the number one. They would use their glue stick to glue down the other fingers just as we do when we hold up one finger. It was so cute watching them figure out which fingers to glue down and how to do it. When we got to the numbers six thru ten they really had to think because they had to figure out which pair of hands they needed.When they had met the challenge we tacked their work on their personal bulletin board. By Trigger

Oven Rack Placement for Cake and CookieCakes and cookies bake more evenly in the center of your oven. If you are baking more than one item, try to place them as close to the center of the oven as possible but leave about an inch between them.

Teaching Frugality To ChildrenOne thing we have done in trying to teach our children to be frugal as well as teaching them the value of a dollar is to have them each deposit 1/2 of their paycheck from their part-time jobs into a savings account. It's an encouragement to them to see it grow as well as teaching them some frugality when they only have 1/2 of their paycheck to spend for the time between pay periods. You would be surprised how far my daughters can make $50 go! By Robin

Tactile LearningIt is really true what they say about some of us being sight learners and hearing learners and some of us use our hands to learn. If your child is having a hard time with their ABCs and 123's try this trick. Get your self an ABC stencil. Trace around the letters onto sandpaper and cut them out. Now run your child's finger around the letter as if you were writing the letter, This really seems to work for tactile kids. By Debra in Colorado

Poem for Mommies - When Mommy's Your NameThe telephone's ringing, the TV is blaring. Sister is crying' cause Brother's not sharing. There's a spill on the carpet that no one will claim. There's no time for sitting when Mommy's your name.

Dangers of Drinking Milk JokeDid you hear about the guy who was killed drinking milk?

ThriftyFun News - March 18, 2005 - ParentingOnline version of the ThriftyFun News. Parenting. Volume Seven, Number 12 March 18, 2005

Make a Writing Time CapsuleHere's a great project for children just learning to write. Make a Time Capsule. Have the child write their name or ABCs on a piece of paper and date it. Roll the paper and place in a paper towel tube. You can decorate the tube with paints, markers or fabric. Tape the ends closed and use a pen to mark a date to be opened. The start of the school year is a good time to do this project and have the kids open it on the last day of school. They'll be able to see how much their handwriting has improved and will have a real sense of pride and accomplishment at their progress. By Cheryl from Missouri

Corny Horse JokeA horse walks into a bar...

Helping Kids Organizing Their Own ToysTo organize my girls smaller toys, I filled see through bins with the toys, took a picture with my digital camera of one or two of the items that were inside (for example) jewelry or little people.

Removing Bubble GumTo remove bubble gum, put ice on to freeze it, comes right off.

Keeping Track Of Your Sippy CupsWhen taking my daughter to church or other outings, there were always people there with her same kind of sippy cup. I hated to write on the actual cup with a permanent marker so I used my label maker to print out her name and placed it on the lid of the cup.

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