Blogs & Tips

Etsy is like one gigantic art colony online.  This site is filled with so much art and hand crafted items that it's truly amazing and *WARNING* addictive!  The prices are right and the items

While browsing around, I happened upon this website, kaboose.com, which is all about cool, fun stuff for kids. But then I noticed a tab on top that said "just for mom." When I clicked it, so much cool

I'm so thrilled with the bottle of Seventh Generation non-toxic cleaning solution (Natural Glass and Surface Cleaner) I just bought.  I'm very impressed with the product because it does work

This is an adorable Boo Boo Rescue and Bravery Kit, which distracts younger children from their boo boo so you can use the first aid materials in the kit to treat them. There is a toy, animal shaped bandages and

TreeHugger.com has an entire website about how to protect and recover our ecological health, but this page in particular has 29 guides on how to go green in such areas as pets, cleaning, furniture, work, gift giving

If you love independent bookstores, check out BookSense.  You can get great book reviews, info on local author events, and scads of book lists ("Summer Paperback Picks," "History Top Ten,"

I just home from the paint store, and I found the coolest products! Someone else already posted a hint about blackboard paint, but tonight I saw Glow in the Dark topcoat by Benjamin Moore and Dry Erase Paint by

Yes, we all LOVE a comforting bubble bath and kids LOVE them too- and I was the first to buy my daughters pink bubble bath.  What I didn't know is that bubble baths can harm the tender privates of your

 I just subscribed to The Daily Groove,  it offers much needed daily inspirational messages and practical tips for busy parents like me.   Start off your day right with a kind message from

Don’t forget to deadhead in your garden!  Deadheading just means snipping off the spent flowers on your plants.  Many annuals and perennials benefit from doing this small chore.  By deadheading

Did you know that Amazon.com has a super sale every Friday? Amazon.com's Friday Sale categories include: Toys & Baby, Home & Garden, Personal Care & Grocery, Kitchen & Housewares and more!

If you have little kids, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser really is magic.  A friend told me about it when we were in the process of moving and it worked wonders on scuff marks on walls and stairs, fingerprints everywhere

Starbucks has a program called "Grounds for your Garden" that provides used coffee grounds at no charge to customers and local parks as a soil amendment. Help your garden and the environment! Check it

We just moved to a new house and picking paint colors for each room started out as a fun task and turned into a dreaded chore!  Looking at the fan deck of thousands and thousands of colors and trying to picture

My mom just brought me a bottle of Twinkle Stainless Steel cleaner.  It's amazing and does not streak!  I usually use natural cleaning products, but cannot find a stainless steel cleanser that actually

Going on vacation with your laptop and wireless card?  Find a hotspot anywhere along your way!  Search by address, city, airport code, and free, pay or both.

To create professional-looking artwork on the walls, print the pictures you like on transparencies and use a projector to present the image on the wall.  Then trace the image with pencil.  You can create

If you suffer from motion sickness, try Bonine for your next trip.  It’s an over the counter drug that prevents motion sickness for adults and children aged 12 and up.  I have found that it works

If you sign up to receive special offers from Bertucci's Brick Oven Pizzeria Ristorante on their website, you will receive emails for $5 off $30 food purchase. I think I tend to get them about once a month

Did you know that you can get rebates from Energy Star partners to buy energy efficient products?  Check out this website and search by zip code to see all the offers for your area. Special offers include

Bloomberg has a nice calculator on their website that helps you quickly determine whether you should take advantage of low interest financing or a manufacturer rebate.  Check it out and save some money!

Zillow Mobile: House Values from your cell If you haven't seen Zillow yet, check it out. Especially in this real estate market. And now, as you're driving around admiring houses, you can now get Zillow's

Did you know that even when your appliances are off, they often are still using electricity?  This article in the Boston Globe gives some good tips on how to minimize the cost of this "phantom load."  

Allthebestinvitations.com is the best place to buy invitations, birth announcements, etc., hands down. For my son's bar mitzvah, I spent days on the internet and hours driving from store to store, and this place

When my older daughter was finally potty trained, she had a bad habit of forgetting to wash her hands.  I got tired of constantly telling her so to make it fun, I got the soap dispenser that makes it light

The MomAdvice blog has some really cute organizing printables for moms: Chore & Technology Tickets Weekly Planner Price Book Lunchbox Notes {Cute & Fun!} Monthly Budget Sheet Diaper

Another way to use those clear plastic shoeboxes is to use them for first aid items.  I always had a ton of band-aids, Bactine, anti-itch creams, nail clippers and other misc. first aid items that

When I was expecting my first child money was a bit tight so I tried to save money by buying baby gear and toys second hand. For those of you unfamiliar with Craigslist, you have to give it a look! You can buy

Mothering Magazine - Natural Family Living is great! This is my new favorite magazine right now.  It has so much info on breastfeeding, natural items and attachment parenting. 

The woman who created this web site is an amateur storm chaser and photographer.  But she's very good at explaining elements of storms to kids. I even learned stuff about lightning by reading her site. 

The Vietnam Veterans of America accept donations of clothing, shoes, books, small electronics, household items, and many more things. Best of all, they will pick up your donation at your home in Eastern MA. You

This website is called the Parent Magic - they have newsletter that they send out each month about a different subject.  You can order the books but I just get the newsletters.  He seems to address every

I recently discovered the power of blogging, and although I know blogging is something most mothers are aware of, I think all moms should know that blogging is something just about anyone can do. What are the benifits

If you serve chicken or beef broth or soup or ramen noodle soup, put some broth or soup in an ice cube tray and freeze. This makes a wonderful cool treat for your dog or cat. Let them eat it outside, though, as

One of my girlfriends recently introduced me to this magazine.  It’s a literary magazine devoted to motherhood, with essays and articles by well-known authors on all kinds of mothering and parenting

Does watching your child eat food off the ground make you cringe?  Well cringe no more!  A friend told me about this research and the premise intrigued me.  These college seniors proved that the 5

Do you have a boring homepage? Go to Google, look on your toolbar and click on "tools" then choose "internet options" and make iGoogle your homepage. They have dozens of fun and interesting things

Never slave over coupons and supermarket sale flyers ever again. I read about the Grocery Game and Coupon Mom in an article and I tried them out. They really work. Basically, both services collect the coupons

This image heavy blog is lots of fun to read. Hysterical new dad commentary.

Have some old cell phone kicking around? Donate them to charity! Find a dropoff place near you so you can donate your old cell phones. Many charities are listed in their database. Batteries, chargers and any

If you are adopting internationally, or thinking about it, or need some support, check out the message boards at Holt International’s website. They have boards for all the major countries as well as boards

Off the wall parenting tips are available at Parent Hacks.  Offers up an impressive categorized archive and links to products they like.  Fun browsing.

Lands' End has a sale section of their website called "Overstocks."  You can find great deals in here for past season and in season clothes - but they go quick. On unusual sale section is called

Baby Cheapskate lets you know the latest sales on all things baby.  They track the the week's best deals on diapers and formula, as well as the latest clothing sales and coupons.  I just got a free

Lots of articles and books have come out recently on either side of the "second income" / "opting out" issue.  Here's a financial calculator from Smart Money to help you decide -

I enjoy many blogs written by moms, but this one takes top billing for me.  Spilling the Beans is written by the owner of Magic Beans (one of the best baby and kids stores in Boston!) She's an insider

When the kids were babies, I framed every piece of paper they scribbled on. Now I surreptitiously try to throw them away.  Don't get me wrong, I love their artwork.  But there is just so much of

Family Fun Magazine has a feature each month called My Great Idea, where parents post ideas and tips similar to FamilyZip. They have compiled over 350 of the best Great Ideas into a book for $16.95. Go to the website

Pinks and Blues is your one-stop resource on the web for cool and hip stuff for mom, baby, kids, dads, grandparents and even pets! The team behind this site is a mom and her two daughters...LOVE that! I've

Have you ever been in a store and wondered whether there was a better deal for your item online? Well, now you can check online prices from your phone with Google sms. Just text message your search query to 466453