Today I got up with a new attitude and decided to ...]]> Overwhelmed!  This is how I am feeling.  I have just been on a 2 week vacation to see family in Tulsa.  We got back yesterday and I must tell you I was in the worst mood!  I felt fat…all we had done was eat for 2 weeks!  I had loads and loads of laundry.  The kids closets were a mess and really needed to be cleaned out.  The house felt dirty after being empty for 2 weeks.  I felt overwhelmed!

Today I got up with a new attitude and decided to tackle the laundry with a vengeance!  I am proud to tell you that I am completely caught up on laundry from our trip and my girls being at camp.  I was so inspired that I decided to tackle one closet. 

You may have noticed a new link on our website.  We are excited to be partnering with Just Between Friends.  JBF is a consignment sale that happens in your town twice a year.  You price your items, drop them off and then they mail you a check.  It is a much better pay out then what you would get from a resale shop.  You can take clothes, toys, books, etc.  LML and I will be attending the show in Pearland, but I’m sure you have a sale near you!

So, I started in one closet today by pulling out all of the things that don’t fit anymore.  Here is what I have so far:

I am going to sort through these to see what is in good enough shape to sell and what I need to donate.  As I get further along in the process I am actually going to show you how to tag items to get them ready for the sale. (If you can’t wait to start tagging go here!)  In the meantime, I know the start of the school year makes us all want to get organized.  Start going through your kids closets, but don’t toss it all.  Make some extra money so no one can call you a Lazy Mom!!!

We all know what a challenge it can be to get out the door with a baby in the morning. One thing that has made my life insanely easier is packing the diaper bag the night before. You put in everything down to the last detail, including snacks, water and keys. This saves SO much time in the morning by not having to run around and look for different objects to throw in. Plus, if you make a checklist ...]]> The winner of the cute necklace from P.S. Designs is:

We all know what a challenge it can be to get out the door with a baby in the morning. One thing that has made my life insanely easier is packing the diaper bag the night before. You put in everything down to the last detail, including snacks, water and keys. This saves SO much time in the morning by not having to run around and look for different objects to throw in. Plus, if you make a checklist of all your essential items keep it near the bag,you can just glance at your list to make sure everything is in. No more car rides with screaming babies because you forgot the pacifier or bottle last minute!! submitted by Rachel W.

Congratulations, Rachel!  Please send the Lazy Moms an e-mail and we will hook you up with The Domino Girls so you can get your super cute necklace!!

The topic for this week is parenting.  We want all of your parenting secrets, tips and tricks and we will be sharing some of ours as well.  How are you passing the dog days of summer with your kids?  How do you keep your kids from fighting during the summer?  Do your kids have to do chores?  Let’s all share our comments or submit a tip so we can help each other get more done so we can have more fun!!

I’ll start us off.  My kids get an allowance each week.  They have to give 10% to the church, but the rest is theirs.  (we don’t give them enough to require them to save!)  When we are out and about and they want a drink from Sonic, they need to use their money.  When I check out at the grocery store and they want gum, they need to use their money.  I have found this not only teaches my kids the value of a dollar (they think twice before spending), but it also has helped to eliminate the “I wants” ( I want I want I want!)  It really works for us!

Ok, your turn now.  Share a tip in the comments section and you will also be entered in this week’s contest for a fabulous Lazy Mom tote bag!

One thing that was ...]]> My babies will be going to camp in a couple of weeks.  Hannah has been twice before, but this will be the first time for Abby.  This year we changed camps and they are going to Kanakuk.  If you live in the Midwest you have probably heard of it.  I had signed them up last year before we moved to Houston and still really want them to go.  It’s supposed to be such an awesome camp that I’m willing to make the looooonnnnggg drive to send them!

One thing that was new for us this year are the trunks.  At our old camp we just packed a huge duffel bag.  At Kanakuk, they want you to use the footlockers.  We bought our trunks at Academy and couldn’t wait to decorate them!  Aren’t they cute?

Packing for camp is an ordeal.  Have you ever sent a child to camp for 7 days?  They require like 15 pairs of underwear and socks, extra shoes, extra sheets, extra towels, and so on.  Since we are having cousins come visit next week I knew I better get a jump start on the camp packing.  I shopped this morning for extra basics like socks and underwear.  I now have the dreaded task of writing their name on everything.  Anyone have any pointers for me?  I wish I had thought about this earlier!  Maybe there’s a label or something I could have ordered.  Oh well, what’s a Lazy Mom to do???

I wish I could show you a finished trunk, but I can’t.  They don’t leave still for another week or so, but I’ve got the basics in there.  When I go to pack the rest it will be much easier because all I will have left are clothes.  Oh, and I must give them some pre-addressed stamped envelopes for letters to Mom.  If I get any cute ones I will be sure to let you know!

What about you?  Do your kids go to camp?  If so, what camp?  What do you do while the kids are at camp?  I’ll still have one at home, but I’m looking forward to next year when Big D and I can take a vacation while they are at camp!!

If you don’t win the prize you should click on this link to order your own.  They have the most reasonable prices and you will love it.  I won a personalized necklace off their blog and it arrived this week.  I wore it today and my kids were so excited to see their names hanging around my neck! 

Speaking of giveaways…do ...]]> We were completely overwhelmed with the amount of tips we received this week!  Thank you!  That tells us that the necklace is a hot giveaway!  You all must really want this:

If you don’t win the prize you should click on this link to order your own.  They have the most reasonable prices and you will love it.  I won a personalized necklace off their blog and it arrived this week.  I wore it today and my kids were so excited to see their names hanging around my neck! 

Speaking of giveaways…do you make or sell something that you would like to giveaway on Lazy Moms?  We love to review products and pass on our good fortune to other Lazy Moms.  Please send the Lazy Moms an email or leave us a comment if you have an item you would like to donate.  It’s great exposure for your business and it’s fun to watch people fight over prizes!

Ok, on to the poll.  Like I said, we received a bunch of tips this week and it was hard to narrow it down, but I guess not that hard because we did.  In no particular order are our favorite Lazy Mom organization tips from this week:

Ok, now get to it.  Get your friends and family in on the fun and see if you can win that necklace!!!  Good luck.  You have until Sunday at noon to cast your votes!

Submitted by Suzette M.

Submitted by Amy S.

I used to be a die hard Franklin Planner girl. When I worked full time my company ...]]> For me the key to all organization is a calendar. I remember the good old days when I had more brain cells and less children. I could remember everything! I never had to write anything down and I never missed anything. I realize I have more going on in my life now. I am keeping track of four people’s schedules, not just my own. But still! My memory gets worse with each passing day.

I used to be a die hard Franklin Planner girl. When I worked full time my company provided one for me. I loved it! I wrote every single thing down in that planner. When I left work to stay home I had to start buying my own planner (poor me). I kept up with the Franklin planner refills for a couple of years. I then decided I wanted a cute colored binder and didn’t want to pay what Franklin was asking.

I then switched to a Day Runner for a few years. Once again, I wanted a different color. By this time Target had started carrying all the cute planners a girl could want. I was in heaven! I am a paper loving girl! Back to School time has always been one of my favorite times of year. All those school supplies! I loved picking out my Trapper Keeper and erasable pens! Due to this love of paper I never bought a PDA. I just wasn’t interested.

Then my wonderful husband bought me an iPhone. I made the leap and started using the calendar in the phone. I loved how I could sync my phone with my Outlook calendar. I loved being able to enter an appointment in my phone and not have to update any other calendar. I was shocked at how much I loved using that calendar! There was no paper involved!

Recently I got a new laptop and went with an Apple. Now my phone wirelessly syncs with my computer I know! Just call me Judy Jetson! I can enter my next dentist appointment into my phone as I am checking out, by the time I get home and look at my computer it has already showed up in my iCal calendar. Same with my contacts. If someone sends me a new phone number or email address and I update my contacts on my computer, by the time I get into my car and pick up my cell phone the new information will already be there.

OK, I know this post deteriorated into an Apple commercial. But my point is this, keep a calendar! If you tend to forget things, write it all down or type it all in! I mean ALL!!! I have every minor detail of our lives in my phone. When is the next doctor appointment? In my phone. What the number for our pharmacy in case the doctor needs it? In my phone. What are the gift ideas for my nephew’s birthday? In my phone. You get my drift. Now go get organized!

I keep a laundry basket in my laundry room that I just use for donations to Good Will. So as I pull the clean clothes out of the dryer and realize, hey that shirt is too small for the boys, I simply fold it and put it in the basket. When my husband sees that the basket is full, he then donates everything. Genius, as I am a sentimental fool and have a hard time getting rid of stuff! submitted by Melissa S.

Well, after a couple of weeks of LML boasting about her savings I decided to give ...]]> Do you remember when LML posted about The Grocery Game?  I read that post and honestly couldn’t believe she was doing this.  I went to their website and took one look at it and thought, “no way!”  I am a Lazy Mom.  I do not want to do anything that requires extra work.  And coupons?  I don’t clip coupons.  I would have to subscribe to the paper to clip coupons.  See, it’s already costing me?

Well, after a couple of weeks of LML boasting about her savings I decided to give it a try.  And, if you know me, you know I don’t give anything a try halfway.  I’m an all or nothing kind of girl.  If I am going to do something, I am going to go all out!  So, I signed up for The Grocery Game.  It’s free for the first 4 weeks. I signed up to receive the weekend edition of our local paper.  I was a bit nervous, but hoped for the best.

The way The Grocery Game works is that each week Terri comes out with “the list”.  The list is all of the items that are on sale at the store where you shop.  She combines the sales with coupons for even bigger savings.  She tells you where the coupon comes from, how many to buy, and how much you will save.  You check the items you want to buy and then print up the list.  It’s really easy.

I am not and will not buy things I don’t normally use and I don’t plan to switch brands unless it’s on things that don’t matter.  (omg that is like a quadruple negative sentence.  Forgive me English teacher!) For example, this week at Kroger Tyson bacon was on sale buy one get one free.  We eat bacon, but I really don’t care what brand I buy.  As I reached for my bacon, it occurred to me that if I hadn’t been privy to “the list” I wouldn’ t have even noticed that the bacon was buy one get one free.  I would have left $5.49 sitting on the shelf.  But, this way, I got 2 and put one in the freezer for later.

The Grocery Game is big on stockpiling.  Buy things that you can freeze or save for later when they are on sale.  According to Terri, it takes about 12 weeks to really get stocked and see a savings. Now, I warned Big D about this.  Let’s just say he’s a bit of a penny pincher.  He couldn’t be more thrilled that I am interested in saving money.  He wanted to go to the store with me, but I was afraid he would be disappointed with what I spent.  If I have to stockpile, would I be spending more in the beginning before the savings catch up to me?

When the cashier printed my receipt, guess what my savings was?  You’ll never guess!  $48!!  $48 in items like free bacon or $1 tubes of Aquafresh.  I didn’t spend any more than a regular trip and I took home more product.  Big D said he was falling in love with me all over again and slightly turned on by all the savings!

And, you know what?  I am already excited for the list to come out this Saturday!!!  LML and I will keep updating you with our savings, but you must give it a try.  When you sign up, be sure and tell them I sent your (or LML).  You’ll need our e-mail addys.  amanda@lazymoms.com or leslie@lazymoms.com .  But, please post a comment if you play The Grocery Game or if you intend to give it a try.  We want to hear from you and see what you think!