WFMW Round-Up Thursday

Last week I posted a WFMW round-up. Since I got such a positive response I decided to do it again, and possibly make it a regular feature. As I said last week, I did not read every post and this is in no way a definitive list of the best WFMW tips. They're are just a few that caught my eye...

Mr P at Where the Kudzu Grows wrote a post with a great Disney World tip. As a Disney Vacation Club owner- I'll definitely be checking this one out before our next trip!

Sarah at Blue Castle posted a new use for bed risers. Not sure if/when I'll use this tip since I hate to sew, but if I ever need to heighten my kitchen table, this is the trick I'll use!

Kristen at PAJAMAMAMA posted a great tip for renewing white grout. And really, how cute is that blog name?!! Anyway- I do have lots of grout in my house. While the magic eraser does a pretty good job, some it is just too far gone. So I'll be trying this one out first hand!

Heather at It's all for the best posted a good tip for packing those endless sack lunches...

Robin at Penseive posted a reading tip. This would be a good one to pass on to any students living in your house as well... Ahem, if you happen to be reading this, Teenage Son and Teenage Daughter...

Tami at Tami's Blog posted a great resource for teaching handwriting to kids. While this is primarily a homeschooling blog, I can attest that the program she is advocating is fabulous since Young Son's school uses it to teach handwriting. If you have kids learning manuscript or cursive, it would be worth investing in these books for extra practice at home!

If you don't already know about SKYPE, check out this post at Motherhood For Dummies. It's definitely something you need to know about if you make a lot of long distance especially if they're overseas!

Polly at Perfectly Provident tells how to make your own spice and baking mixes. This would be an especially great tip if you have folks with allergies etc in your household.

If you're trying to keep calories in check, check out this tip at Runningamuk on portion control. I especially like that it's easy- which makes it a whole lot do-able, and likely to be actually put into practice!

Last, but not least, Jane at What About Mom reminds us to pick our battles. And while I might choose different battles than she does, it's definitely a good reminder for us moms on the front lines!

And speaking of which, it's back to the battle for me!

One steamy WFMW post!

Usually I have a couple of WFMW posts milling around in my head, but this week I came up dry. Seeing as how I had plenty of other things to do today, I decided to just take a week off. Then this afternoon as I was cleaning my kitchen floor I realized that I had never posted about my steam mop for WFMW. I did put up a general post, but not for WFMW... So I present to you a re-post about my steam mop. For all two of you Hi Mom! who are regular readers of FrazzMom, I apologize for the repeat. And to the other 99.9% of you- Welcome!

Oh and don't forget to head over to Shannon's for over 250 other WFMW tricks and tips!



I hate to mop. And as you can see from the random photo above that I took in my kitchen at some total stranger's home- I don't do it nearly often enough. It could be because I hate the messy, dirty water or it could be that I don't like using chemicals on our floors or it could be that due to a herniated disc in my lower back it actually hurts to mop or it could be because I spend too much time on my laptop. No, wait- I'm sure it's not that last reason!

Anyway...

A while back, thinking I might buy a machine to do my floors, I borrowed my friend L's combination sweeper, scrubber machine. And while it did a good job, it was super heavy and bulky to manuver. And you had to put their special brand name cleaner in it. Frankly, it wasn't a whole lot less work- especially since my kitchen isn't really all that big.

Then yesterday I read this review on a Works For Me Wednesday post and it got me to thinking. So I went online and read some reviews. Then I went to Target and bought one of these-



After a quick sweep, I filled the reservoir with tap water, plugged it in, waited 30 seconds for it to heat up, and started steam cleaning my floor. It only took a couple of minutes, and I have to say that I was impressed with the results-



Even better than how easy it was to use is the fact that it only weighs 3 pounds. And you only have to look at the pad to see how it did-



Now I have to admit that at $79.00 it wasn't cheap, but if you figure how much I spend in cleaning supplies (and time!) it will eventually pay itself off. In the meantime, I think I'll just enjoy my clean floors. Hey- with all the time I save, I might even have more time for important things...

Like blogging!

WFMW Backwards Edition... Sneaky Vegetables?!!

See this adorable young man? While cute, he is also wily. And he hates vegetables. Oh I manage to sneak onions into soups and sauces by pureeing them in the blender. And he will eat a salad consisting of lettuce and croutons with bleu cheese dressing. But that's about the extend of his veggie eating ways...

So my question for you is What is your best veggie sneaking secret? Do you hide veggies in casseroles? Smother them in cheese sauce? Or even grate them into cake batter? Share your secrets with me please!

And when you're done be sure to head over to Rocks in My Dryer where you can impart your wisdom to others on this WFMW Backwards Edition...

WFMW Round Up

If you have been anywhere in the blogosphere, you already know about Shannon and her Works For Me Wednesday weekly blog carnival that she hosts at Rocks in My Dryer. Reading through all the tricks and tips posted there are a highlight of my week. Although it can turn in a major time-sucker as well, this week, for example, there are 281 different links!

After perusing the list last night, I came up with a few of my favorite links. By no means is this any kind of definitive list- just a few that caught my eye. I had planned on posting my favorite 10 links, but ended up with 12...

Kristin at The Goat posted some great painting tips and tools.

Tiffany at Tiffany's Thoughts has a great tip on removing moisture from a watch or cell phone.

Kara at Eskimo Kisses and Air Hugs posted a great packing idea for a family vacation. I'll definitely use this tip on our next trip to Southern California.

Peggie at Ain't No Place to Put a Sticker has some good reminders on using credit cards for online transactions.

My Precious Pennies has a GREAT tip for diaper changes. I wish these had been around (or maybe they were?) when my kids were little. I would totally have used this tip!

Kaye at Mrs Nesby's Frugal World posted a great link for busy moms looking for some new crock pot recipes... I'm adding this one to Google reader!

Amber at Bringing Good Home tells how to chill a soda in two minutes flat. With the hot weather we're having around here, I'll be trying this one out soon!

Amy at Mom's Toolbox has a great tip for using leftover smoothies. I'm sure everyone thinks she's the coolest mom on the block for serving popsicles for breakfast!

For a little comic relief, Lady Why at Where the Kudzu Grows posted about How to Survive a Shannon Blogging Break.

Mrs O at Positively Organic posted a recipe for chocolate zucchini cake. Since Young Son hates most vegetables, I'm constantly on the lookout for ways to sneak them in. I have high hopes for this recipe!

Karen at 3 Garnets and 2 Sapphires has a tip for peeling hard boiled eggs that I'm going to try next time I make deviled eggs.

Shan at Shansland found a new use for Sharpies that never even occurred to me. And that's saying a lot since I LOVE my Sharpie markers and use them constantly! I humbly declare her the Sharpie queen!

So those were my favorite posts this week. I hope you enjoy them... Now please excuse me while I go spend some quality time in front of the mirror with a dark brown Sharpie!

Look Ma! No hands!

As you may have heard, California went 'hands free' in June. What that means is that you can no longer talk on your cell phone while holding the phone to your ear and driving at the same time. You can dial and/or text message with your phone while driving- just as long as you're not holding the phone to your ear while doing so.

I didn't say it made sense, just that it's the law.

Anyway- the new hands-free law has spawned a whole slew of folks driving around with snazzy bluetooth earpieces so that they can continue talking whilst driving. Or shopping. Or eating. Or cycling. Or a myriad of other activities that you now see Californians doing while seemingly talking to themselves in public. I however, do not own a bluetooth. I do not plan on buying a bluetooth. I do not want a bluetooth. Ten points for you if you guessed that I am not a personal fan of the bluetooth!

If you own and love a bluetooth, please know that I really don't have anything against bluetooth owners! It's just that I don't need one more piece of technology to keep track of, re-charge, and remember to bring every time I get in my car. Honestly, if I can remember to bring my phone itself, I'm doing good- let alone accessories!

Anyway.

I do, however, frequently talk on my cell phone while driving. I know it's not the safest thing to do, but lets just be honest here- I spend a lot of time in the car. A lot. And much of that time is spent solo. Frankly, I can get a lot done while I'm driving to and fro. And it never fails that as soon as I get in the car, my phone rings... So I came up with this-



Your eyes do not deceive you. What you see is, in fact, my cell phone rubber-banded to my SUV's sun visor. Turn on the speakerphone before pulling out and I'm ready to go... I know you're all impressed and perhaps even struggling to express in words the brilliancy of my solution to talking hands-free, so let me just help you. I'm sure that word you're thinking of is...

Classy!

LOL! Seriously though, talking hands-free works for me! Now head on over to Shannon's where you can find lots of really and truly useful WFMW tips and tricks!

Chicken Chili Casserole

This week's Works For Me Wednesday is "5 ingredients or less". That said- here is one of our favorite quick, easy, and yummy casseroles... The proportions are guidelines- not hard and fast rules. Like it saucier- use more white sauce. Increase the chicken or cheese if you like it better that way. Trust me- you CAN'T mess this one up!

Chicken Chili Casserole
1 package Corn tortillas
2 cups white sauce
2 cups shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (Use pepper jack for more oomph!)
2 small cans mild, diced chilies (Rotel would work well too!)

Layer tortillas, white sauce, chicken, chilies,and cheese. Repeat until you use all the ingredients up, ending with cheese as the top layer. Bake at 350 until bubbly and hot (around 1/2 hour). Enjoy!

Now head over to Shannon's for more yummy 5-ingredients-or-less recipes!

WFMW- Hide the onions!

One of my children does NOT like onions. Actually- he doesn't mind the onion taste- it's the texture of cooked onions that he dislikes. I sneak them into soups or sauces by pureeing them, but in other dishes, like casseroles, he either picks them out or simply doesn't eat.

Last week I was making tuna noodle casserole and discovered midway through that I didn't have the onion that the recipe called for. Looking through my cupboard, I grabbed the dehydrated onion flakes and put a generous amount into my saute pan- along with the celery and butter and proceeded with the recipe as usual...

Voila- it worked like a charm!

I don't know if it was the texture or the size of the onion in the finished product, but Young Son was none the wiser and the rest of the family enjoyed our dinner. I googled it later and discovered that 1 tablespoon of dried onion flakes equals 1 small onion. So dehydrated onions works for me- now head on over to Shannon's for more Works For Me Wednesday tips and tricks!

WFMW- No more yucky sponges!

I hate sponges that get musty smelling. I know the microwave trick works, but another trick I've picked up is to put my kitchen sponge in the dishwasher.

In general, we have two kitchen sponges. I keep a clean sponge next to the sink, ready to use while the dirty sponge is in the dishwasher waiting to be run through. Once I've washed the dishes (and my sponge!) I put the now clean sponge next to the sink and put the other in the dishwasher.

Obviously, this trick works better if you use the heat dry setting on your dishwasher since it's the steam that will kill all the bacteria, etc. in the sponge.

Clean sponges work for me. For more WFMW tricks and tips, head on over to Shannon's.

What DOESN'T Work For Me Wednesday...

Shannon is holding a What DOESN'T Work For Me Wednesday themed bloggy carnival this week... So here it is...

Yelling STOP! or NO! in any kind of emergency situation doesn't work for me.

Let me explain- when Young Son was little, he was a runner. You know the type- always dashing into the street right in front of a car or just missing stepping on a baby rattlesnake on a creek walk...

I would cry out STOP! or NO! to no avail. It was like he didn't hear me... And then I realized that he probably didn't. After all he was the youngest of three young children and let's be honest here I was yelling No! and Stop! all the time.

So I changed my approach and changed my word to FREEZE! And you know what? It totally worked. The trick is that I only used that word when it was a safety issue and when I did use it, Young Son froze...

No! and Stop! didn't work for me. Stop by Shannon's to see what didn't work for others...

WFMW- Stain Remover

My mom recently introduced me to this product and I can now attest that it is hands-down-the-greatest-stain-remover-that-I-have-ever-tried! It especially good on greasy, oily stains.

And here's the kicker.

It gets stains out even after they have been set in by a run through the dryer. You know the stains that I'm talking about- the ones you forgot to pre-treat before washing and drying. The ones that you thought were now set in your daughter's favorite shirt FOREVER!

No more, Friend. No more.

I ordered it from the McNess website. Unfortunately, they don't ship into California so I had it shipped to my mom in Idaho and she shipped it to me brought it to me on her last visit.

Stain removal works for me. Now head on over to Shannon's for more WFMW tricks and tips!

WFMW- Fried Rice

Several years ago, my husband's work was having a potluck. So being a dutiful employee, he signed up to bring a main dish... Then he came home and filled me in, because- since J doesn't really cook, guess who was going to make the actual dish?

Yep- that would be me.

It really wasn't a big deal, though- after all I can throw together a pretty good casserole on any given day. And I make a mean gumbo... Then I found out that he had specifically signed up to bring homemade fried rice. That was when I flipped.

Fried rice?!!

J honestly didn't understand why I was so upset- after all my family loves my fried rice... That was when I calmly pointed out to J that many of his co-workers are Asian. And while I do make a decent fried rice, for a white girl, I was not comfortable serving it to his co-workers. It would be like making a batch of spaghetti and serving it to a family in Rome. I guarantee that their worst effort would beat my best effort any day.

So I did what any self respecting wife would do.

I went to our favorite Chinese restaurant and bought 4 family sized orders of shrimp fried rice. Then I transferred it all into my biggest casserole dish and delivered it to my husband's office.

They loved it.

So much so that for the next year's potluck- J's secretary took the initiative to sign me up to make fried rice again. Remembering that the restaurant had since gone out of business, J redeemed himself and saved the day by insisting that I really wanted to make a dessert this time.

So there you go- my deep, dark secret is out. Buying restaurant food and passing it off as my own worked for me once. But in case you prefer to make it yourself, here is my fried rice recipe...



Fried Rice (serves 6 adults as a main dish)

3 cups short grain rice uncooked
6 eggs
1 ham steak
1 bag frozen vegetables (peas and carrots work well as do the 'Asian blends')
garlic
soy sauce
salt and pepper

Cook and cool rice (I usually do this earlier in the day).

Cube ham and brown in large frying pan. Remove with a slotted spoon. Beat eggs and cook omelet style in same pan. Remove from pan. Throw frozen veggies in pan with 2-3 heads crushed garlic. Heat veggies through and remove from pan. Add a little oil to bottom of pan and add cooled rice. Stir constantly and heat through. Return ham, eggs, and veggies to pan. Add soy sauce to taste while mixing all ingredients (and breaking up cooked egg) in hot pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Obviously the ingredient proportions are variable- add more egg if you like, skip the meat if you want vegetarian, etc...

So there you have it, fried rice (restaurant prepared or homemade!) works for me. Now head on over to Shannon's for more WFMW tricks and tips...

Works for me Wednesday- The Cookie Scoop

We're leaving at 8 am tomorrow morning for an impromptu trip to Southern California. So I should be packing right now. Instead I am baking cookies, because I am a big fan of denial... That's right my friend, it's not just a river in Egypt anymore...

Honestly, it's unusual that I bake at all, but when I do- I usually make cookies. And when I make cookies this tool is my best friend-



It's the medium sized Pampered Chef scoop. It makes a nice size cookie- but the best part is this there is no fighting over who gets which cookie because they are all exactly the same size! Brilliant!

The cookie scoop works for me. Now head on over to Shannon's for more Works For Me Wednesday tricks and tips! And as a bonus here is the recipe for the cookies that I am making today, compliments of cooks.com...

Favorite Molasses Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
2 eggs lightly beaten
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
extra sugar for coating cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, shortening, and sugar. Beat in molasses and eggs. In separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. Gradually add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredients until thoroughly combined. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in sugar. Bake for 13 minutes. Removed baked cookies from oven and cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

WFMW- Yahoo! Calendar

I have three kids. That means that I have lots of doctors appointments, volunteer slots, carpools, meetings, orthodontist appointments, and dentist appointments to juggle. That's just the tip of the iceberg, and keeping track of it all is enough to drive any sane mom crazy!

After missing several appointments a couple of years ago, I realized that I needed something to keep me organized... Then I discovered Yahoo! Calendar... Some of the reasons that I like it include-

It's free- You do need to set up a yahoo account, but that's it.

It's easy to use- It's very user friendly. Once you get started, you'll quickly get the hang it!

Repeating event feature- I can input regularly occurring events once (like math tutoring for Teenage Daughter every Monday and Thursday) and the calendar will fill it in on those days until I tell it to stop.

E-mail reminders- I have my calendar set up to email me each morning with my list of things for the day. If I'm really worried about forgetting something important, I can have an additional reminder e-mailed during the day or even texted directly to my cell phone.

Yahoo group events- I belong to multiple Yahoo groups and all my group calendar events are automatically added to my personal calendar (you can disable this function if you prefer).

Location/Notes- When I input an appointment, I also add the phone number/address and any other info I might need... For instance if you scroll over 'pick Young Son up from school' the notes regarding where I meet him each day pop up...

Now I am really detailed with my calendar and have EVERYTHING that I need to do each day on it (as you may be able to see from the above photo that I snapped of today's schedule). I have a very simple reason for this- if anything happened to me and someone had to step in for me unexpectedly (even for something simple- like the flu) I know that everything he/she needs to know is there- from who is driving in our morning carpool that day, to who has the next ortho appointment. I have supplied my husband and my mom with my log in and password already- just in case... Another added benefit is that if J and I manage to get away for a few days, everything is there for my Mom when she comes to stay with the kids. Combine my calendar with the navigator in my car and she's all set!

So as you can see, Yahoo! calendar works for me. Now head on over to Shannon's for more Works For Me Wednesday tips and tricks...

WFMW- keep your herbs and spices fresh!

This week Shannon is hosting a 'Best of' WFMW. So here, without further ado, is the very first WFMW tip that I posted...




Most of us know that light and heat cause the flavors and colors of dried herbs and spices to deteriorate. After throwing away dried herbs that had faded on my spice rack before I could use even 1/2 of the jar, I figured that there had to be a better way. That's when I found a better use for my spice rack (it displays my son's rock collection on the wall in his room!) and moved my jars of herbs and spices to the freezer.

Just make sure that the lid is tightly closed so that they don't clump when you put the spice or herb bottles in the freezer. Then pull them out, measure, and use as you normally would- no need to defrost first!

I've been doing this for several years (not the same set of herbs!) and it works for me. Make sure you check out more WFMW ideas here!

WFMW- Buy groceries and fly for free!

Next month I am flying round trip to North Carolina on United Airlines. And while it may not be all that unusual to book a ticket using frequent flyer miles- keep in mind that I did not earn those miles by flying on United or even by using a miles earning credit card.

I earned my miles buying groceries.

Yup- groceries. You see Safeway (A.K.A. Dominicks, A.K.A. Vons, A.K.A. Pavilions, A.K.A. Genardis) has a little known program where you can earn United frequent flyer miles every time you buy groceries... Specifically every time you accumulate $250.00 spent on groceries, you earn 125 frequent flyer miles- just by punching in your Safeway club card number.

Of course you could earn your miles even faster by using a miles earning credit card to pay for your groceries and enrolling in the Safeway/United miles program. But since we avoid using credit cards, it takes me an average of 3-4 years of grocery shopping to earn a flight. So, yeah- it takes a while, but since I'm going to buy groceries anyway- I might as well earn a free flight at the same time!

You can check out the program (or enroll) here. Then head over to Shannon's for more WFMW tricks and tips!

WFMW- The "GO Box"

During our last move I found this very helpful tip in a brochure that I picked up at the post office...

When you are packing for your move, set aside a medium to large size box and label it GO BOX. This is going to be the first box that you will open in your new home. Pack all the items that you will need right away (and don't want to have to root through other boxes to find!)...

Some of the things I put in my GO BOX were:

Toilet paper
Clorox wipes
Paper towels
Cell phone charger
Local phone book
Regular phone (land line)
Paper plates and cups
Towels
Light bulbs (Our new house didn't come with light bulbs in the light fixtures!)
Flashlight (Just in case!)
Snacks (Especially important for the kids!)
Tape
Scissors or box knife
Any tools you might need to assemble furniture- screwdriver, hammer, etc.

Obviously this list will change according to your situation- long vs short distance move, single person vs large family; but you get the picture.

The GO Box worked for me. Now head on over to Shannon's for more handy WFMW tricks and tips!

WFMW Backwards Edition- How do you post videos on your blog?

Today is Shannon's WFMW Backwards Edition- where we get to post those burning questions we have and you get to help us solve them! So here is my issue. Well, let's be honest here- I have lots of issues, but here is the one most appropriate for this forum!

Anyway...

When I'm reading other blogs, I often see a blog post with a You Tube video inserted into the middle of the post like this... Now I've poked around and figured how to post a video from You Tube directly- but it only puts up the text that I type at You Tube, so it looks like this. If I then go back and try to edit it from my blog, it deletes the video altogether...

Is the problem that I am using blogger or is there something that I'm just missing? Help please!

And then when you're done helping me- head over to Shannon's to spread your bloggy knowledge with others in need... And of course, Thank You!

WFMW- Finding lost/misplaced kids

When my kids were younger, at least two of them seemed to get lost easily whenever we went on an outing. Teenage Daughter is visually impaired- so she sometimes has difficulty navigating in large crowds. Young Son is easily distracted and would sometimes run off to look at something exciting without telling me first. Since I often took all three kids on outings by myself- I would get somewhat nervous about losing someone! (Even when J and I took all three kids out- we were outnumbered!) Fortunately, there are a couple of tricks I picked up along the way that helped keep me sane...

1) Label your kid.
Since I always have a Sharpie marker in my purse- I have been known to write my cell phone number on my child's arm (sometimes I still do this with my 10 year old). This works especially well at the beach or the water park. I was actually standing to the side and watching Young Son one day at our local water park a couple of summers ago, when I overheard one lifeguard comment to another about the phone number written on "that kid's arm" and what a great idea it was. Fortunately, we have never been in a situation where my kid needed to be rescued by a lifeguard, but I feel better knowing that they know how to get a hold of me in the park if there was ever (even a minor) problem...

2) Photograph them.
Whenever we would go to any large, crowded venue- like a theme park, I would take a quick photo of each kid with my digital camera or cell phone camera before we entered. That way if we needed to report a lost or misplaced kid, I didn't have to try to remember exactly what he/she was wearing that day to give a description- I could just show the photo.

3) Use cell phones.
Now that I have two teenagers, they don't always want to hang with Mom and Dad. On our last couple of trips to Disneyland we've split up for a few hours. J and I hang with Young Son and we let Teenage Son and Teenage Daughter go off on their own for a morning or afternoon. Now that we all have cell phones with cameras, they use them to check in with us. Teenage Daughter will take a picture of whatever attraction they're at and send it to my phone so I always know where they are. I can also text them if we need to change our pre-arranged meeting place or time.

Fortunately, my kids are getting older and potentially losing a child isn't as probable as it once was... These tips have worked for me though, and I'm happy to pass them on to you. Head over to WFMW at Rocks in My Dryer for more tricks and tips!

WFMW- My Favorite Punch Recipe

It seems that whenever there is a bridal or baby shower at our church- I am asked to make the punch... Know why? Because I make killer punch... Seriously- I have a no-fail-you-can't-mess-it-up-super-easy recipe. And in honor of today's Works For Me Wednesday, I'm going to share it with you...

For each batch of punch you'll need-
2 two liter bottles of lemon lime soda (generic brand is fine)
1/4- 1/2 gallon of sherbet (use more or less according to your taste)
ice

That's it! Just pour the soda in your punch bowl, add some ice, and scoop the sherbet into it. The sherbet will melt and color your punch, plus it gets a little foamy. It's pretty and yummy too! (I have actually had people ask if they could take leftover punch home after an event).

The other great thing about this recipe is that you can use whatever flavor sherbet you like- except rainbow sherbet (it turns a very unappetizing brown...). If you are having a baby shower for a baby girl, use raspberry sherbet for a pretty, pink punch. For a boy I use lemon-lime. You could also go with pineapple for yellow. I have also matched with the brides colors for a bridal shower... Anyway- you get the picture.

So that's what works for me! Head on over to Don't Try This at Home where Melanie is guest hosting while Shannon blogs from Uganda for more Works For Me Wednesday tips and tricks...

WFMW- Online Shopping Edition

Today Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer is hosting a little different twist for her weekly Works For Me Wednesday bloggy tricks and tips carnival. Instead of posting our favorite tip to share, she’s asked us to post our favorite site for online shopping…

Now I love to shop online and avoid going to the mall at all costs- so I usually hit all the usual places… Amazon and Oriental Trading Company are staple websites- but aren’t exactly secret finds.

Recently, however, I ordered something cool from CocoBlu Studios. I discovered them through Shannon’s Bloggy Giveaways site. I didn’t win the drawing, but I loved the products so much that I ordered myself a set of ‘blog cards’. Since my kids are older- the mommy cards don’t really work for me, but I loved the idea of having a card with my info on it to give out (instead of just jotting down my email on whatever loose piece of paper I could find in the depths of my purse!) So Sarah at CocoBlu took one of the mommy card templates and created these cards for me…

This is the front-

The back has my full name and email address with the words "See what we've been up to" at the top in yellow (to match the caution sign in the photo).

Not only are the cards beautiful (and they come packaged in the cutest little tins!), but Sarah was amazing to work with. I emailed her my request and she had several samples for me to choose from the very next day. She looked at my blog and pulled colors from it so the cards even match! Once I place my order, it was less than a week before they arrived at my doorstep.

I love my new cards- CocoBlu Studios definitely works for me! Head on over to Shannon's to discover more great online shopping sites!