Reviews by Mommy

  So every mom probably shops on Black Friday, usually beginning at the very wee hours in the morning. This year, stores are opening in the middle of the night, some opening their doors at midnight for die hard Black Friday shoppers!

• Look online at the Black Friday websites that get their hands on the ads before they come out in print in the Thanksgiving day paper. Some sites you can try are: http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/, http://www.blackfriday.info/, http://bfads.net/, and http://www.theblackfriday.com/. Of course, you’ll find many more out there on the internet but this should give you a good jump start.
• Verify that the items haven’t changed or sale prices haven’t been modified by the retailers and check the ads in the Thanksgiving day paper.
• Make a list of stores you want to visit in order of importance. If you’re trying to get your hands on a popular game system like the Xbox 360 or a laptop computer for $299, you better plan on being in line at that store the day before and ready to pitch a tent in line.
• Bring your ads with you. Circle the items or post a sticky note on the front of the ad or on a list so you know exactly where you’re headed once the doors open.
• If it’s extremely popular, plan on only being able to grab 1 or 2 items on your list per store because they go FAST! Prioritize your list. Figure out which items at which store is most important.
• Check online to see if some of the items you want can also be purchased online. This will free up time for you to grab the items that you can’t get online, in-store. I found last year, a lot of stores are doing shop online and pick up in the store or free shipping.
• Clothes and “knick-knack” type stores typically have what you’re looking for later in the day for the low prices advertised in Black Friday ads. Hit the electronic stores and toy stores first. Unless it’s a very popular item, stores like Target and Wal-Mart tend to have quite a bit in stock too so save those stores for later in the morning or afternoon.
• Bring a 2nd person to shop with you so you can break up and have 1 stand in line or both of you running to get your hands on 2 popular items. Just a hint, Toys R Us is known for a very long and crazy check out process. It’s a good idea to have that 2nd person standing in line early on while you shop!

And finally a general common sense piece of advice, be safe. Remember, you’re shopping in the dark and there are people who will target shoppers caught up in the moment whether they’re after your money or the popular items you just waited in line for. Bring a cell phone and be cautious of your surroundings.

It may sound silly to the rest of the country for us in Arizona to be discussing the need for heating for the next few winter months. However, to an “Arizonan” 50’s and 60’s is cold for us. What can we say, we’ve got thin blood.

Well, I haven’t had to turn on my heat just yet, since I am trying to catch a break with my SRP bill having had to run my A/C unit all summer long and well into October. However, it’s getting to be that time of year where I’ll want to start using my heater to take the chill out of the house in the early mornings. It doesn’t help that my entire house has tile which makes it colder for my little ones’ feet.

I ran into a few issues this past summer with my A/C going out on me on a very hot day, so I had looked into heating services for the winter months for a routine check so the same didn’t happen with the heater going out or malfunctioning.

I have suggested to friends and family do the same thing so they’re not stranded on a colder winter Arizona day. I have passed along several numbers of heating companies I looked into along with the one I used, ChasRoberts.

Moms, let’s keep our little ones (and big ones) warm this winter. Call for heating services for a routine check up.

If you are a mom and maybe even a stay-at-home mom who ’s very familiar with social media sites designed around and for moms, be aware when you sign up! I signed up for a select few and I get overloaded with spam emails. These are emails that contain daily or weekly updates about contests, bloggers, etc. To me, it’s just like spam. It’s really not stuff I’m concerned about nor do I want to be notified of it. I feel that if it’s a site that I signed up for and something of interest, then I’ll log in or visit the site if I want to know about the daily or weekly happenings of the site.

I was recently in an email altercation with the owner of Mommy Ranks. You can see the emails exchanged and my unnecessary dispute when I kindly asked to be removed from their email lists on my company reviews website. I’ve also put in requests to be removed from other social media sites.

I’ve also noticed that .ning networks overload you with emails unless you go in and change your email settings and notification settings.

In my opinion, these social media sites are more annoying than anything unelss you have nothing better to do. I had originally signed up for a few to network with other blog owners to see if I can get them to blog for me. Big mistake but now I’ve learned.

I know it’s not just me anymore. School pictures for our kids are becoming very expensive each and every year! You get less picture and less quality too. I find it outrageous and am not willing to spend the money any more on school pictures through the school.

Here’s my alternative for school pictures. I dress my kids nicely for school pictures when they are taken because they are going to automatically included in the class picture. Then, I use a coupon from a local portrait studio and take the kids in for just headshots like a typical school picture with a plain background. I usually spend $3.99 per sheet and about $12 for a whole set of pictures to send to the relatives and friends.

Damn Good Potatoes got it’s name from my step-father when I made a potato recipe passed down in my ex-husband’s family. Every time I make them, he says these are “damn good potatoes”. And yes, they are, excuse the offensive name of the recipe but it’s one you surely have to make perhaps for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year!

• 3 lb. bag of potatoes
• 1 pint of whipping cream
• 1 lb. of shredded cheddar cheese
• Butter or Margerine
• Salt
• Pepper
• *bacon

Peel potatoes, dice up to whatever size you’re liking is but not too big. Boil potatoes until somewhat soft, you don’t want mushy potatoes. Drain potatoes once done and put them into a large baking dish 13×9 is preferrable. You may need a 13×9 and a 9×9 (which is what I use when I make a full 3 pounds). Pour whipping cream onto the potatoes and add butter. I can’t give you a measurement of butter, I just pile it on - about 3 big spoon size scoops of butter for the 13×9 and 2 for the 9×9. Add salt and pepper (to taste) and sprinkle the cheese onto the potatoes. Bake for 30 mins. on 350 degrees. Then serve! These are some of the best potatoes you’ll have! They’re damn good!

*If you like bacon, cook bacon, cut up in small pieces and mix in before laying cheese.

  My 3-year-old is potty training and we’re dedicated to using Huggies Pull Ups. We’ve tried the other brands as well as generics and just find these fit the best and work best for my child.

However, I recently tried the new Huggies Cool Alert and I was very disappointed in the pull ups. When I would go to change her, there would be some sort of crystals that had come out from the diaper and made contact with her skin making a mess and I’m sure for her making her uncomfortable. Needless to say, we’ve never used these again and we’ve gone back to the original pull ups by Huggies.

The Huggies Cool Alert Pull Ups aren’t so cool in my book and as all of us moms know, these Huggies Pull Ups aren’t cheap so I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone.

With flu season in full affect, my recently turned 3-year old has been very sick and has gotten a very bad diaper rash because of it. I guess her being in pull-ups isn’t exactly helping as it rubs against her very chaffed bottom. She has been in complete agony and I’ve had to wash the wipes under warm water to get out anything that would sting or irritate her rash more.

I’ve tried everything from Desitin Cream, Desitin Powder, Butt Paste, and Huggies Diaper Rash Cream. I went to my local Target today and looked at all of the diaper rash creams and ointments. I saw the most expensive tube at 2 oz. for $8 and on the side it said money back guaranteed if it wasn’t the best diaper rash ointment I’d used. I figured I couldn’t lose. So I bought it. It’s called Triple Paste Diaper Rash Ointment. It seems to have the highest percentage of zinc oxide which helps protect the rash and heal the rash. I’ve been using it now for about 5 hours and it seems to be helping already! I am extremely impressed. I have to also say that I would have spent any amount of money if I knew it would help and make my daughter feel better. It looks like I won’t be sending any request for my money back!

I highly recommend Triple Paste Diaper Rash Ointment to all you mommys out there for your baby’s diaper rash!

As a mother of 3 children, I need to be sure to always have a running car. I can’t worry about not having a car to run the kids to school, to their friends, to their extra curricular activities, church, etc. Therefore, I’ve looked into extended auto warranties to cover my car so I don’t have to worry about coming up with the money should I need major repairs to the car.

I thought I would share with my readers the benefits to having an extended auto warranty. Did you know most cars come with a 3-year warranty? Most likely, expensive repairs aren’t going to come when the car is brand new, right? Well we hope not. So, what happens to you after the 3 years is up? You’re left with nothing, no warrany.

Here’s just a few pointers when searching for an extended auto warranty:

• Find a company who offers warranties that will allow you to get your car repaired where YOU want, not where they say you can. This way, you can take it to a mechanic you know and trust and at a location that is conveient for you.
• A reputable company who offers extended warranties, should also provide you with coverage for towing 24/7 in the event you break down.
• Even if there is damage caused by overheating, there are some companies that will cover those costs however most won’t. Find one that will.
• Remember, in most cases, you get what you pay for. Just because you will find a warranty cheaper than another, there is probably a good reason why. Find out what they don’t offer or cover.

If you’re going to invest in an extended auto warranty for one of your biggest purchases in life, you’ll want to make sure you’re covered as car repairs can be very expensive. In all of my research, I have found a company that I would recommend you to. Should you need an extended warranty or a used car warranty, you can rely on Warranty Direct.

Ever want to see if an item is safe for your child. Perhaps when you bought a crib or a stroller you had every reason to believe that it was completely safe for your child. Well, manufacturers are always finding something about their products that could potentially harm a child. If you want to find out if your baby product or children’s product is on that recall list visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

Calling all mommies!!! Treat yourself and load up with E.L.F. Cosmetics for just a buck!

E.L.F. Cosmetics (as seen on Oprah) has recently been bought out by Nordstroms and they are stripping the label and replacing with their own, therefore the majority of their cosmetics have been reduced to $1 each! The things I found that aren’t a buck is their minerals line, lotions, cosmetic bags, etc. But, their eye liners, powders, concealers, brushes, make up tools, eye shadows, lipsticks and lipglosses, etc. are all just a buck!!!

I just used this coupon code EGSHIPAJ to get $2 shipping and handling off $25 purchase or more.

Spend $75 or more and get free shipping.