June Giveaway is HERE...RIGHT NOW!

SO - I thought it would be a great idea to make everything ahead of time for the June giveaway but June crept up on me and hey it starts in 45 minutes!

Nifty Thrifty JUNE Giveaway!

You could win:

- A Monster Sillybet with the first letter of your child's name to see them click here

- A handy-dandy must have first aid kit. Little cloth case made by me with bandaids, neosporin, etc all in original packaging.

- Sunglasses for your very cool little one

- A onesie in Girl or Boy with a '1' stitched onto the front!

Yay! Here's how to win:

Click the "follow" button on the right side of my blog and post a comment on this post with your baby's birthday and first name. Bear will once again choose the winner from a gerber can and be announced on June 7th, 2011! I will post the winner and you have until June 10th, 2011 to email me at hmpeterson@maine.rr.com to claim your prize!

How to qualify:

Your baby must be turning 1 (one) in the month of June 2011! Please be honest and only apply once! Only the mother, father or guardian can apply.

Now have at it and start commenting!!!!!!!

Love,

PlusPeace

Blah.

All I have to say is:

I AM SO PUMPED FOR A LONG WEEKEND!

Bear is teething again - 1 cut through and 2 more on the way, his first birthday is next weekend and I haven't shopped for anything yet, he's very close to walking and I am just so excited to relax and spend time with my little lovey this weekend -- ahhh.

Thats all for tonight - I'll have to post some bargain birthday supplies when i go shopping this weekend =]

Love,

PlusPeace

Nifty Thrifty JUNE Giveaway!!!

OK - So I am having a giveaway for June babies only - as in babies born in June 2010! (another one will come for everyone). To qualify "follow" my blog and I will ask that every Mommy with a June baby please comment a special word on a future blog post. I am not positive what the prize will be yet but I've decided I am going to have everything made beforehand and I'll post a picture so you know what you're winning and then it will be all ready to go in the mail that day! I am thinking a first birthday shirt or onesie (custom), matching sunglasses, a "Monsterbet" - a plush creation of mine - specific to your babies name and something special for mom for making it through year one!

If anyone has thoughts or comments please let me know - more and rules coming very soon!

Love,

PlusPeace

Coupons!

Don't be fooled by coupons!I do this ALL the time. I love coupons, I love the idea, I like holding the little paper and I love hunting down the item. Now to utilize the actual value of the coupon you need to ask yourself these 3 questions:

Do I use this product often?

How many of them do I need?

Where is the cheapest place to buy it?

There are two types of coupons, good coupons and bad coupons.

Good Coupons:

Are printed off the internet - www.coupons.com has exactly the same coupons as in the paper and you don't have to pay like $5 for it (say you only find 4 coupons for $1 off it wont pay for itself) You can also print as many as you want from online!

Are for things you buy on a weekly or bi-weekly basis - diapers, cereal, wipes, baby food, toilet paper, etc.

Are for things you only buy once in a while and are for non-perishable items. No sense in buying 3 packs of cheese if it's going to go bad..

Are for low quantities - like for 1-3 items anything more than 4 you USUALLY will not use. Unless you have a large family or a huge freezer. I heard a lady on the news this morning say she got 12 tubes of toothpaste for $3.00....what are you going to do with 12 tubes of toothpaste?

Can be combined with other offers - Great coupons are also advertised in your local grocery stores sale flyer. So you not only get the coupon but a great deal on top of that.

Bad Coupons:

Are opposite of everything above :)

I try to shop around, find the best price and use the coupon there. Coupons are alot of work if you want the best price. I go on Sunday's and go to 3 different stores for different things. I find that Target has the best deal on Huggies and with a $2 off from the paper and $3 off from target I can get 144 diapers for way less than just buying them with all my groceries. Only clip what you'll eat. Sometimes I do get carried away - I clip more than I can handle and end up spending money I wouldn't have spent in the first place meaning a really didn't save anything!! Shaws has the best prices on vegetables, meats, dairy and bake shop items while BJ's is great for baby needs and canned goods!

Just a few things to think over before next weeks shopping...

Love,

PlusPeace

Oh and by the way check out my Monster Sillybets on Etsy !! Anything I make on these goes to Bear's first Birthday (food, plates, etc - I only need a few orders to be able to pay for everything)

Time to Cook!

About now your baby probably likes the feel of different textures and can generally understand what you do at different times of the day. Try cooking with your baby! It's fun, it's messy and it's hilarious to see the look on your cuties face when he can feel all the different ingredients.

The important this is to choose something you can both enjoy in the end, I choose, BANANA BREAD! Baking as opposed to cooking is usually the way to go. The ingredients are more fun and there is a nice wait time to get cleaned up before the yummy feast!

Either work on the floor or on the counter - depends where you have space.

Preheat the oven to 350F. I usually set Bear on the counter since I am standing right there he pretty much stays put (I also wear an apron). Measure out your ingredients and let your baby touch and feel - remember: all germs and drool will cook off in the heat of the oven.

First put 1/3 Cup melted butter and 3 - 4 really ripe bananas into a bowl and mix and mush until

combined. Then let your baby (with your help) pour in 1 Cup sugar, 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla. (its ok to let your baby play with all ingredients except eggs and vanilla) Sprinkle in 1 tsp baking soda. Now add 1.5 Cups flour. This is really fun to play with! Yes it's messy but this is a once in a while bonding time! Let your baby gnaw on the spoon with banana and butter if he gets bored somewhere along the line. Butter a 4x8 bread pan and bake for 1 hour. You can also throw in some walnuts and cinnamon for something a little more tasty.

Let your baby get messy!!!!! It's so fun! Well...I think it is =] also makes for some super cute pictures. During the wait time clean up the bowls and let baby help by giving him the washed ones to play with on the floor - he's, uhm, drying (?) them!

Then scoop up baby toss him in the sink and give him a scrub down - remember to get all the flour out from behind his ears!

After the bread is cooked through and cooled off enjoy it as a snack for the two of you - I guess you could share with others!

Or make cookies - those are always delicious! There is an amazing Pumpkin Cookie recipe I am trying to get from a friend. If I get it I'll spill the beans to you guys heheh!

Love,

PlusPeace

Baby Sack - Day Trips!

Now that the weather is getting more beautiful each day - especially for us New Englanders - it is especially important to get outside! Whether you are going for just a walk or for a whole day at the zoo you'll want a properly packed "Baby Sack"! I know through trial and error that I will and will not need certain things. This (clearly) depends on what type of mood your baby is in but here are some essentials for an all day trip with some car travel time involved. I finally went on a nice long day trip this past weekend 2 hours in the car - the rest outside in the big, beautiful, allergy filled world! (And I didn't forget anything I needed - BONUS!)

In the Baby Sack - I found a backpack works better - Include...

The Basics:

-6 Diapers

-Pack of wipes

-Extra change of clothes (dont forget socks)

Lunch & Snacks (in a small cooler/lunch box)

-Ice pack

-Lots of juice

-2 bottles of water & Formula

-2 empty bottles for later

-Snacks - Cherrios, Individual Prunes, Kix, Puffs, anything that can be eaten in the car

-Lunch - Stonybrook Farms organic yogurt tube (like gogurt but less sugar), vegetable pouch (squeezy babyfood packs), graham crackers, cheese

Toys:

-A car toy is ideal - one that clips to the carseat or something, "links" work great for attaching toys to seats.

-a book

-A few small complex toys that will keep your baby occupied in the car

Other:

-Blanket to sit on if you will be outside

-Baseball or Sun Hat

-Sunglasses

-Shoes

-FAVORITE BLANKIE (or stuffy)

-Camera + Batteries

There ya have it, shove it all into a backpack and be on your way! Traveling is not too difficult, just remember the stroller and you'll all be fine!

Love,

PlusPeace