Homemade Mom

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About Me

January 9, 2012 No comments

So who is HomemadeMom?

I thought I’d take a moment to tell you more about myself:

I’m an attached parent. I keep my children close, I don’t let many people babysit them. I babywear in various carriers to keep the bond strong between me and my baby.
I’m a mom that yells more than I like, I’d like to be the calm mom that never shouts but that’s just not happening. For that reason I’m learning more about positive discipline, so I can be a better mother to my 3 boys. Single Dad Brad is discussing 52 tips/techniques on positive discipline, one each Sunday.
I’m highly organized and a bit of a neat freak. In my house everything has a place and NOTHING should be in the floor. I’m a bit anal about it, but I can’t stand tripping/stepping on toys. The boys are free to play with whatever they want as long as it isn’t in a walkway.
I HATE to cook. I don’t enjoy it one bit. I do, however, enjoy reading/clipping/storing/organizing recipes. I like the idea that I could create these great meals…one day. Everyday at 4:30 I dread the “what am I going to cook tonight?” production. This is where menu planning would come in handy, but I have to actually do it for it to work.
I nursed all 3 of my boys. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is the most natural thing I can imagine. That being said, it’s not automatic. Nursing is natural but it takes work. It’s not easy starting out and it’s different with each child. There is a learning curve to everything new and this is no exception. I feel that nursing allows me to bond with my boys the way a bottle wouldn’t. It forces me to stop, sit down and enjoy the experience and enjoy my baby.
I co-sleep/bed share with my babies. I feel that it makes nursing during night time hours much more convenient. Therefore I get sleep and baby gets sleep. I used to keep my mouth shut about co-sleeping because the topic seems to be so taboo. Many people view it as something that needs to be “fixed”. I disagree. Hannah at Mulberry Spot just recently discussed this exact topic.
I cloth diapered my second son for the latter half of his diaper days. It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had imagined. I’d like to do it again with Cutler but the start up cost is holding me back. I realize the benefit of less landfill waste and a cute cotton covered bum!
I’m terrible to maintaining a routine with my kiddos. I’m not consistent with bath time, brushing teeth, bedtime and dinner. The boys take a bath when I think they’re dirty, brush their teeth when I remember to remind them (I’m working on this one right now), go to bed when they’re tired (usually around 8:30-9:00, but sometimes earlier and often times later), and eat when they’re hungry. I really need to work on this.
I buy resale and not retail.Which means that you may bump into me perusing the isles of my local Goodwill or Salvation Army. I LOVE a bargain and I’m not afraid to search for one! I find that it teaches my children the value of a dollar. What you can/can’t get for a certain amount of money is always relevant. What we save we can spend on fun family adventures.
I imagine doing all sorts of fun, creative and crafty things with my boys but my inner neat freak screams out “NO, it will create a mess!!!” Sometimes I win out and we actually do something crafty, but most times I decide it’s not worth the neurotic rants that will follow and I leave the messy projects to their school teachers.
I have all sorts of ideas that need to be brought to fruition but will take tons of research. I need to learn about obtaining a patent, becoming a non-profit organization and grant writing. It’s on my to-do list.

So that’s all I can come up with for now. Do you feel like you know be a little bit better now? Do you have a question for me? I’m open to answering anything, no question is too big or too small. I’m just working my way through life trying to make it the best most memorable experience I can, one step at a time!

Who is HomemadeMom?

February 23, 2010 About Me 3 comments

So who is HomemadeMom?

I thought I’d take a moment to tell you more about myself:

I’m an attached parent. I keep my children close, I don’t let many people babysit them. I babywear in various carriers to keep the bond strong between me and my baby.
I’m a mom that yells more than I like, I’d like to be the calm mom that never shouts but that’s just not happening. For that reason I’m learning more about positive discipline, so I can be a better mother to my 3 boys. Single Dad Brad is discussing 52 tips/techniques on positive discipline, one each Sunday.
I’m highly organized and a bit of a neat freak. In my house everything has a place and NOTHING should be in the floor. I’m a bit anal about it, but I can’t stand tripping/stepping on toys. The boys are free to play with whatever they want as long as it isn’t in a walkway.
I HATE to cook. I don’t enjoy it one bit. I do, however, enjoy reading/clipping/storing/organizing recipes. I like the idea that I could create these great meals…one day. Everyday at 4:30 I dread the “what am I going to cook tonight?” production. This is where menu planning would come in handy, but I have to actually do it for it to work.
I nursed all 3 of my boys. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is the most natural thing I can imagine. That being said, it’s not automatic. Nursing is natural but it takes work. It’s not easy starting out and it’s different with each child. There is a learning curve to everything new and this is no exception. I feel that nursing allows me to bond with my boys the way a bottle wouldn’t. It forces me to stop, sit down and enjoy the experience and enjoy my baby.
I co-sleep/bed share with my babies. I feel that it makes nursing during night time hours much more convenient. Therefore I get sleep and baby gets sleep. I used to keep my mouth shut about co-sleeping because the topic seems to be so taboo. Many people view it as something that needs to be “fixed”. I disagree. Hannah at Mulberry Spot just recently discussed this exact topic.
I cloth diapered my second son for the latter half of his diaper days. It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had imagined. I’d like to do it again with Cutler but the start up cost is holding me back. I realize the benefit of less landfill waste and a cute cotton covered bum!
I’m terrible to maintaining a routine with my kiddos. I’m not consistent with bathtime, brushing teeth, bedtime and dinner. The boys take a bath when I think they’re dirty, brush their teeth when I remember to remind them (I’m working on this one right now), go to bed when they’re tired (usually around 8:30-9:00, but sometimes earlier and often times later), and eat when they’re hungry. I really need to work on this.
I buy resale and not retail.Which means that you may bump into me perusing the isles of my local Goodwill or Salvation Army. I LOVE a bargain and I’m not afraid to search for one! I find that it teaches my children the value of a dollar. What you can/can’t get for a certain amount of money is always relevant. What we save we can spend on fun family adventures.
I imagine doing all sorts of fun, creative and crafty things with my boys but my inner neat freak screams out “NO, it will create a mess!!!” Sometimes I win out and we actually do something crafty, but most times I decide it’s not worth the neurotic rants that will follow and I leave the messy projects to their school teachers.
I have all sorts of ideas that need to be brought to fruition but will take tons of research. I need to learn about obtaining a patent, becoming a non-profit organization and grant writing. It’s on my to-do list.

Tip 1: Shop Thrift Stores

April 1, 2009 Stretching a dollar One comment

For the month of April I’m going to tell you all how my family and I stretch a buck. We are happy with what we have and we have everything we need. My friends often ask me “How’d you do that?”…I’m going to tell you how I do it. I’ve been living this way for so long that being frugal is second nature to me. You probably are already doing many of the things I’ll discuss and may not even realize it’s saving you money, but it’s all the little things that add up to BIG savings.

Tip 1: Shop Thrift Stores

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been out to Goodwill or Salvation Army and found the top name brands and the hottest styles! It is time consuming to sort through the racks of clothes, but it’s always worth it! If you can find the newest items to supplement your wardrobe at a fraction of the cost…then why not? If you frequent the shops enough (I usually go every 2 weeks) then you will be able to go through the racks much quicker. Items you’ve previously seen will look familiar and the newer items will stand out.

If you want to check out some of my Thrift Store purchases I’ve posted many of my finds with pictures. Click here.

Remember that just because it’s previously worn doesn’t mean there is something wrong with it. Many times people’s style changes and evolves into something else, meaning that some items they own no longer fit into their “style”. Also when a person gains or loses weight or outgrows an item, a great find might make it’s way into your hands!

Here are some tips to remember when shopping thrift:

If possible, try everything on!
When in front of the mirror really look over the front side for stains, snags, holes or tears.
When you have the item on examine it for fit, check the seams for places where the stitching may be loose and ensure that it’s a proper fit.
When you take it off and place it back on the hanger, hang it backwards so you are viewing the back of the item. This will give you the chance to examine the back for flaws.
If you don’t love it…don’t buy it! Just because it’s inexpensive does NOT mean you have to have it!

It works for me! Give it a try and come back here and leave me a comment on how you’ve saved money with your smart thrift store shopping.

Organizing Shoes

May 6, 2008 Homemaking, Organizing 2 comments

So I’ve come across a blog I’ve been reading for a while called The Lazy Organizer. She has a blog carnival every Tuesday where you “Talk about ______ on Tuesday” Today is the day to talk about shoes.

I have way too many summer shoes, in the winter I wear far less of the actual cute boots that I own. I probably stick to only my top 3 favorite pair and wear them all winter long, but in the summer…I go crazy! I have tons of sandals! Especially the little kitten heel thongs. I love those. I’ve not always been too stylish but I have to try right? So whenever I see a cute pair of sandals, especially those with a cute little kitten heel, I have to buy them. Sandals are usually pretty cheap too, so what’s the harm? Oh…right, storage. Where to put all those shoes!?! Here is my current shoe storage situation. I store all my sandals in a hanging shoe rack on the back of my bedroom door.

In my closet I have a shelf in between my two hanging racks and there I try and tuck all my tennis shoes in. They don’t fit well, and they are hard to see, but I don’t wear them all that often. I mostly wear them to the gym:

My little boys also have tons of shoes. I seem to one of them a pair when I’m smart shopping at the Goodwill or Salvation Army. I do the same thing with them, the hanging shoe storage rack on the inside of their closet doors.

Here’s a little thing that I do that saves me some headache, I take all the unmatched socks and store them in one of the shoe slots. So then when I’m looking for a match I know right where to find it! It works for me…oh, that should be a “Works for Me Wednesday” post over at Rocks in my Dryer!