This is a cute idea, and a very simple one at that. Many of us use 3 ring binders for church, school, or even work, but they can be so boring sometimes. This isn’t the best example of a binder makeover, however, it gives you a good idea of what is possible. Take your favorite scrap paper, band poster, or even photograph/collage.  After cutting to size, use double sided tape, and attach the paper to the front of the binder. One this particular one, I added ribbon by slicing a small incision on each side of the binder and running the ribbon through it and finishing it off with a knot in the front. It’s just a nice way to add some glitter/sparkle to your life.

Here is a view from the front.

This is a great time to add this post to my blog, and the reason???  It’s Back-To-School season!  So, with your girls new school clothes, they should have  Back-To-School Hair Bows to match.  And I am going to teach you how to make a super simple bow, that will wow even the pickiest of moms!!  Your girls will be so stylish with their new clothes and coordinating bows!  So,Click Here to get started!

I know School is back in session soon, and for many of us, we are deeply engaged in finding great deals on great gear for our little ones.  I have two girls that will be going back to school this year, and I have found some excellent deals and wanted to share some good ideas and tips with you, on just where to find your own great deals.

If your looking for some good deals on kids clothing for Back-to-School…sizes 5t-12, JC Penney has a good selection of items for $3.99 and up.  I bought my girls a bunch of long plaid shorts, with matching shirts.  Costing me a total of $8.00 for the whole outfit….which, in my book, is so great!!  If your child gets to wear a school uniform, JC Penney has them available as well.  There are (HUGE lots=many pieces)of clothes on Craigslist and E-bay where you can purchase 100 pieces of clothing, in your childs size for $200.  That’s $2.00 per clothing article, which is absolutely remarkable.  Keep in mind, these clothes may be new or used, so make sure you check the quality of the items prior to paying for them.  Also, consignment shops like “Once upon a Child” and others, will take your last year clothes (in good condition) and give you store credit to buy school clothes for this year.  They also take baby gear and toys in trade of store credit, which you can also use on clothing, or more gear.  I have lots of friends who are purchasing their childrens clothes at thrift stores and Good Will.  In fact, I just heard that Good Will has half off Saturdays, so all the $2 shirts are then $1.  You may think I am a cheapo when it comes to new school clothes, but why spend a ton when there are great deals out there??? Also, “The Children’s Place“  has really adorable jeans for $4.99, and school uniforms as well.    I have recently been to “Burlington Coat Factory” this week, where we purchased my daughters new back-pack for $5.99, not to mention a ton of really cute clothing at great prices.  Then there is  “Ross” which I am generally pleased with and can get complete outfit sets (shirt/bottom) for less than $10.  If you live close to a “K-Mart,” they have slashed back their prices for “Back-to-School” and if your budget is tight, I believe they still have lay-a-way.  I could go on and on, and add more stores like Wal-Mart with their $3.00 shirts or .25 cent crayons, or Target and Kohl’s who are both having Back-to-School sales, but the main goal is to ****shop around*** and maybe jump on line checking out the {clearance section} of clothing websites before spending your pennies.  Now most of these stores have great deals on shoes and accessories as well.

ANYWAYS>>>>>>HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING and if you have any great deals, please share share share!!!  P.S. …Look Forward to my post on making hair bows that match your girls new clothes, coming soon.

Well, just as the title of this blog states, it’s true, I do have some explaining to do.  I have been absent as far as my presence on the web goes since late March, and I want to explain why.  Not, that it changes my absence, but just for your knowledge.   My husband and I were expecting our fourth child and we were nearly half way through, when we found out we were going to have a still born.  We had already heard the baby’s heart beat a week or so earlier and were so very sad to hear the news of our sweet baby’s passing.   We stared at the monitor, waiting to hear if it was a boy or a girl,  looking at our baby’s perfect little body and we couldn’t understand what went wrong.  So as you can imagine, the following days were excruciating.  Those days turned into weeks, and then slowly into months, and now here I am.  It has been difficult, and I feel like I may have stepped out mentally for a short while, but I am back now, and am ready to roll.  I want to briefly thank those of you who sent caring words, thoughts, and prayers.  I know they helped us through our troubled time.  I also want to apologize for being all over the board and impersonal at times, but I have more direction and am very excited to share with you what I’ve been working on.    So look forward to some good ideas and tips coming your way very soon!!!

I received this in an e-mail and I know that every time we had coughs as children, my mother used this same technique on  us.  CHECK OUT THIS GREAT TIP to Kick your cough.

Some of us have used Vicks VapoRub for years . But I’ve never heard of this. And don’t laugh, it works 100% of the time, although the scientists who discovered it aren’t sure why. To stop night time coughing in a child (or adult as we found out personally), put Vicks VapoRub generously on the soles of your feet, cover with socks, and the heavy, deep coughing will stop in about 5 minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of relief. Works 100% of the time and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly…