MomBuzz

Valentine’s day is fast approaching so better get ready.
Today’s tip: Begin your valentine cards now. Sometimes it takes a while and many kids can’t get them all made in one sitting. You don’t want to leave anyone out!

How many times have you run out (or sent your husband out) to the store late at night to pick up diapers? It’s something a person with kids can’t do without! There is no substitute - if you’re out you’re in trouble. So here’s our simple tip: keep several diapers in a secret spot for emergency use. If you tend to go through the emergency stash keep a couple in another spot also. Don’t forget to update when your child moves up to the next size. This tip also works for any other items you tend to run out of and can’t live without.

The internet is a marvelous place - especially for shopping. Today we bring you a novel site that offers amazing daily deals. WOOT! They only offer one item per day. You read correctly - ONE item per day - so you have to check back each day to see what they have, but it is usually at a great price. Today they are offering a 47″ HDTV. I have seen many electronic items like cel phones, DVD players and even a computer. It isn’t your typical store, but it’s interesting to see what they have and there is usually an amusing story/description to go along with it. They also offer a tee shirt deal, wine deal and one other random item each day. For more details check out their FAQ page.

As my friends and family are having children my Christmas card collection of photos grows every year. Instead of throwing them away I like to save them. The kids and I enjoy looking at them year after year- seeing everyone grow and change. I found an easy way to organize them is with inexpensive panoramic and 5×7 photo albums. I use the Pioneer flexible cover albums which come in different sizes and are very inexpensive. You can usually find them at your drug or card store or of course online. They are about $2 - $4. I fill up the panoramic with the 4×8 cards and regular 4×6 photos. I had to get a 5×7 album this year to accommodate the new style cards. Don’t forget to add a name and date if it isn’t printed on the card using a photo safe marker. I guarantee you will enjoy looking back at them in years to come. By the way don’t forget to include your own holiday card!

Now is a great time to revel in the winter with some fun snowmen pancakes. They are simple to make and lots of fun. My kids looooove pancakes and we eat them often. To make it fun I frequently color them with food coloring or make them into silly shapes. The snowmen are easy - three sequentially smaller round pancakes that run into one another. To add the eyes, nose and mouth I used animal shaped sprinkles. You can use regular sprinkles and chocolate chips for the buttons. They don’t have to be perfect you are just going to eat them, but I guarantee you a big smile when your little ones see this breakfast.

Each year in January I fuddle around trying to gather up all of last year’s tax information, and each and every year I vow not to be more organized next year. Well this is my year. I am going to take the first week of January to set up some new files to keep track of my business expenses, personal healthcare, car service receipts and kids schoolwork. The key is to put the file, or box or however you store your papers in an accessible place so you can easily put papers where they belong. Have a system so you always know where things go.
My favorite organizational tools are a set of small drawers for stashing bills, receipts and papers as they arrive. I also have a notebook in which I store important information from the town, school notices, phone numbers and warranties. I can always find the class list and recycling info, now if only I could remember where i put my keys!