Mom's Minute

Become A Recipe Collector To Save Time.

2010-05-17T06:24:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I don't like to spend the whole day slaving away in the kitchen. But I like my food to taste as if I have! I'm always on the lookout for low-cost, healthy and easy meals. When I try a new recipie that fits these criteria and my family loves it, I immediately make a copy of the recipe and put it into a special file with all the tried and tested family favorites.

If you'd like to do the same you can start by looking through magazines, websites and cookbooks for inspiration, ideas and great recipes.

Cook From Scratch

2010-03-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

Eating out and buying prepared microwavable meals always costs more than cooking a meal from scratch. Cooking from scratch isn't quite as impossible as it seems at first glance. Cooking at home doesn't have to be either time consuming or difficult. But it does require some forethought and planning.

I find it easiest when I plan menus in advance and make 1 weekly trip to the grocery store. In that way I have everything on hand to whip up a quick meal.

Here are two great cookbooks with some really quick and delicious recipes.

In the time it takes to wait in line at the drive-through you can whip up a nutritious meal that is as kind to your waistline as it is to your pocket.

11 Tips For Parenting The ADD/ADHD Child

2010-02-21T21:09:00.001-08:00

Parenting a child who suffers from ADD/ADHD can be a trying experience. Here are 11 tips to make both your life and that of your child's easier.

1.Establish some simple family rules with clear consequences for breaking them. Make sure the child understands the family rules as well as the consequences for breaking them.

2.Disciplinary action should be positive, immediate, and of short duration.

3.As the child becomes more responsible, allow him more privileges.

4.Believe it or not chores are a great way to develop a child's self-esteem and sense of responsibility.

5.Give brief, simple instructions, being sure you have eye contact and, perhaps, touching the child as you talk. Give follow-up reminders if needed.

6.Create a "To do" list so he can check off the things he has accomplished. For a younger child you ca use pictures in place of words on the list.

7.Calm out-of-control and impulsive behavior by letting the child listen to soothing music that will help him calm down. Even more effective than music are brainwave entrainment. To learn more go to http://www.maximindpower.com/add/calmkids.html

8.Establish a regular daily routine and follow it as consistently as possible.

9.Explain the child's problem to adults who may be responsible for him occasionally such as teachers, babysitters, grandparents, etc. It will make it easier for both the child and the caregiver to cope.

10.Siblings of kids with ADD/ADHD sometimes feel neglected because parents are so immersed in coping with the demands of the ADD/ADHD child. Make some time to see to the needs of your other children too.

11.Arm yourself with knowledge. Know about your options in dealing with an ADD/HD child.
An excellent source of information on ADD/ADHD presented in the form of slides, audio articles, etc can be found at http://attention-deficit-disorder-treatments.blogspot.com/

12.Don't allow yourself into being pressured into putting your child on medication if you are not happy with it. Be aware of the side-effects of these drugs beforehand.

Sa'Diyya Seedat is the mom of 2 boys diagnosed with ADHD. She has been using brainwave entrainment to control and reduce the symptoms without any medication. Download 2 free reports "10 things you can do to improve your child's ADD ....Right now " + "Ritalin - The Dark and deadly truth" http://www.maximindpower.com

Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half By Growing Your Own Food!

2010-02-17T05:34:00.000-08:00

Growing your own fruit and veggies isn't really all that hard. Fruit and nut trees and even berry bushes all add beauty to a home and provide hundreds of dollars worth of free food each year.

I have plum, lemon, avocado and pear trees and I've just started my own vegetable patch as well. It's a great way to get the kids involved in healthy eating and I can tell you there's nothing better than making a meal with ingredients you've grown in your very own backyard.

Two books I found very useful in learning to in growing my own fruit and vegetables are:

and

Cash In A Flash - IDEA 2

2010-01-30T07:54:00.000-08:00

This is the third Cash In A Flash Idea - A way for you to make money without having to go to work.

CLEANING SERVICES

This idea has the potential to turn into a full-time business. You can clean apartments, homes, small businesses and offices on a per-project basis. You need to know how to clean fast and well. And you need to be well-organized and energetic.

Payment will depend on the job performed. This is a fairly flexible job and you can find work while the kids are in school. Younger children will need to be left with a sitter.

Before you start a job you will want to find out exactly what the client wants and then give them a quote based on that. Grease spattered ovens, mouldy bathrooms etc will take longer and will need more effort and elbow grease.

A good start-up strategy would be to create flyers and promote them door to door in your own and surrounding communities. You can even create specials such as "Holiday Clean Up" or 'Spring Cleaning" specials.

Slash Your Food Bill Without Buying Less!

2010-01-17T05:16:00.000-08:00

Slash your food bill by cutting down on waste. Did you know that the average household throws away 15% of the food purchased?

So if you're spending $750 a month on groceries, you're probably throwing away $112 of food away every month!

Here are 3 ways to help reduce the waste:

Only buy enough fresh produce to last a week (or a little longer) I was particularly guilty of this. I would buy enough to last a month and then have to throw away tons of stuff that had gone bad and slimy. Ick!
Freeze leftovers. Then one night a week have a "leftover night" where you heat all the leftovers and everyone digs in.
Make a list of the leftovers that are in the fridge and stick the list on the fridge door. When a family member is hungry they can see at a glance what there is too eat. All too often we put leftovers into unlabeled containers and forget about them until we clean the fride and find the moldy remains of what could have made a good meal.

Does Your Toddler Love The Circus? Then she'll love this.

2009-11-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

Many people have great memories of visiting the circus as a child. What wasn’t to like? You could see tigers, elephants , horses, clowns and acrobats, all in one place while enjoying some delicious popcorn and cotton candy. A visit to the circus is always sure to give children memories that will last a lifetime. However, the circus only comes to town once a year, what’s a child to do for the rest of the year?

Now the fun doesn’t have to end once the circus leaves town. With Circus Ring from Playmobil, children can recreate the magic by conducting their own circus in the comfort of their own homes.

Circus Ring from Playmobil includes all the things needed to run a successful circus: the signature Big Top tent, trapeze artists, ticket booths, lighted entrance, a ringmaster and so much more. The bonus? It’s a large set, so small hands won’t have trouble playing with the pieces. They’re big enough for little hands to grab, and it makes the magic all the more real, because they actually have room to maneuver pieces with ease.

With Circus Ring from Playmobil, children can play as the ringmaster, emceeing the show as it goes on underneath the Big Top. And the best part? Your child decides what happens and when. Watch as trapeze artists do their death-defying stunts through the air. See the other performers ride elephants and fight with tigers.

With Circus Ring from Playmobil, your child can even serve refreshments to the spectators. Yes, there’s room for spectators! Children can add their favorite characters from other Playmobil toys to create an audience for their shows! Circus Ring from Playmobil really has everything that your child will need to recreate their favorite circus moments!

Help your child expand their imaginations and relive some fun memories by letting them create their very own circus with Circus Ring from Playmobil. Get them their very own Circus Ring from Playmobil for Christmas this year and watch as they recreate circus magic year-round!

Is your Little Girl Potty Training? Here's the Perfect Christmas Gift.

2009-11-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

As a child, what was one of your favorite games to play? Like most little girls, you probably enjoyed playing house and being the mommy. You wanted to be a grown-up, and this was one of the ways you got to pretend and act like your own mother at the same time.

Now that you’re older and have children of your own, it’s likely that they like to play house as well. If you have a little girl and are looking at the perfect gift to get for her this year, then you should get her the latest in baby doll technology – the Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll.

Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll gives your young one an opportunity to play mommy and learn about child care and responsibility at the same time. The Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll comes with her own accessories, including a potty chair, dress, two doll diapers, baby bottle, bowl, spoon, two packets of doll food, bib and baby wipes.

The Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll utilize innovative technology to teach children about child care. Children will marvel at how Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll will sleep, eat food, drink from a bottle and then tell when she has to go potty! Your child can then put Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll on the potty. If they don’t put Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll on the potty chair in time, then she’ll have an accident. This teaches children about the importance of listening and taking care of the needs of others.

The Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll is available in different races, so children of different cultural backgrounds can have a Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll that has the same skin color as they do! It’s another way that Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll helps children learn about being a mommy and taking care of something responsibly.

Be sure to get your young ones their very own Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll for the holidays this year. They’ll get to play one of their favorite games, house, with a doll that looks and acts very lifelike. Then, you can sit back and watch just how adorable it is to see your child growing up before your very eyes.

Other Gifts She'll Love:

And if you've got a little boy then take a look at this:

The Perfect Christmas Gift For Little Kids Who Love To Play Pretend.

2009-11-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

It’s no secret that kids love to play make believe. Just watch a group of children play together for a few minutes and you’re bound to see them playing ‘house’ or any number of imaginary games that their young minds can come up with. It’s important to help foster that imagination in young children and that’s why you should get 50’s Diner™ from Step 2 for your children for Christmas this year.

50’s Diner™ from Step 2 is a stylized version of a real 50’s style diner, complete with all of the amenities your children need to play restaurant in their very own home! This complete set includes a kitchen on one side of the 50’s Diner™ from Step 2 set and a dining area, complete with booth-style seating, on the other side.

Your children will marvel at all of the accessories that come along with the 50’s Diner™ from Step 2. They’ll have everything they need to create and serve (pretend) 50’s style meals to their friends! Some of the accessories that come along with the 50’s Diner™ from Step 2 include:

· A full kitchen, including a grill, oven, fryer, sink and freezer

· A full service dining area booth-style seating

· Metallic window that separates the kitchen and dining area

· Electronic bell to let the ‘staff’ know that the food is ready

· Retro jukebox that includes 50’s style music for the children to enjoy

· Food to prepare meals with like burgers, fries, hot dogs, ice cream and pie

Along with growing their imaginations, children will learn to work together in order to prepare and serve the food while playing with their 50’s Diner™ from Step 2. These are important skill that children need to learn to be successful adults.

By getting your children the 50’s Diner™ from Step 2, you’re helping them learn these skills at an early age which will only help them as they grow older.

Help your children grow and learn while having fun at the same time! Get them the 50’s Diner™ from Step 2 and let them make you a delicious ‘meal’ for once!

Buy In Bulk To Save Money

2009-11-17T05:06:00.000-08:00

Another way to save money on groceries is to buy frequently used items in bulk when they are on sale. You can share with another frugal friend if the item in question is too much for you to store or too expensive to buy in bulk.

Bulk buying also applies to buying larger size items. You can freeze the extra or split the cost with a friend.

You can take this a step further and create a food co-op to be able to have even more buying power. When creating a food co-op it's a good idea to choose people who have similar purchasing habits to you in order to maximize the buying power of the co-op.

Children spell love like T-I-M-E

2009-11-07T06:40:00.000-08:00

Regardless of whether your child is 6 or 16 years old, he needs your time and attention. You don't have to spend hours each day with your child. In many cases this simply isn't possible. But the time you give your child muct be sincere and uninterrupted.

It's not always possible, but try to stop and really listen to what your child is saying. It's a good idea to ask 3 questions whenever your child is sharing something that is important to him/her. Asking your child 3 questions and really listening to the answers will help your child feel heard and loved.

Cash In A Flash - IDEA 1

2009-10-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

Since the state of the economy is affecting everyone, I decided to create a series of income producing ideas that will help you to earn that little extra to help make ends meet or to spoil yourself.

These ideas are not full time businesses, and any stay at home mom can do them with minimal training. The great part about these ideas is that they are flexible and don't require a huge cash outlay. Each month I will be publishing a new idea that will help you generate some income.

This month's idea is SHOW HOUSE SITTING.
As a show house sitter your job is to welcome potential buyers at real estate show-houses, to hand out sales material and if the agent isn't there to show buyers around the home.

The amount you can earn varies with the agent, the area and the duties you will have to perform.

As an additional service you could offer to do brochures, newsletters, etc for an additional fee.

Show houses are usually held on the weekend so your spouse can watch the kids while you work.

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, call your local estate agent and offer your services.

Smile

2009-10-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how something so simple can have the power to transform your life and make you feel so much better....in an instant!

You can get so caught up with serious side of life that you forget to loosen up and simply....smile!

Here are 2 simple ways to get the power of a smile into your life.

1.Challenge yourself to smile at 3 people today.
2.Pick up the phone with a smile. The person on the other end can't see your smile but they can hear it.

10 Simple Tips For Building Your Child's Self-Esteem

2009-10-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

1. Tell your child that you love him frequently.
2. Take the time to really listen to your child.
3. Treat your child with respect.
4. Spend some special time with your child each day.
5. Focus on your child's positive attributes and praise her for them.
6. Never belittle your child or put her down, especially in front of her friends.
7. Don't live your life through your child. She is her own person.
8. Let your child know through your words and actions that you believe in her.
9. Expect Progress, not perfection.
10. Remember and apply all the 9 rules above!

Slash Your Grocery Bill In Half!

2009-10-17T04:22:00.000-07:00

Slash your grocery bill in half by keeping track of all your food expenses, including that quick trip to the drive-through and convenience store. Do this for one whole month.

When the month is up, go through the list and see where you can cut back.

Are you eating too many junk food meals?
Are you making too many trips to the convenience store because you failed to plan your meals beforehand?
Are you buying too many pre-cooked meals?
Could you save on certain items by buying in bulk?

When I did this, it was certainly an eye-opener. I managed to reduce by food bill by over 30% the next month. (And most of the time I cook meals at home from scratch)

A Simple Way To Reconnect With Your Family

2009-10-17T02:33:00.000-07:00

Life is hectic and fast paced and often days can go by without reconnecting with your partner and kids. Here's a simple step to reconnect with your family - Eat 1 meal a day together. Eating a meal together helps a family to reconnect and talk about your busy day.

Risk Honestly Expressing Your Feelings

2009-09-29T01:35:00.000-07:00

Today I want to challenge you to honestly express your feelings. Take 5 minutes to tell someone you love something important that you have been meaning to say but have never gotten around to.
Words like

"I love you",
"I'm sorry" ,
"Thank-you"
"I miss you"

Such small words but such great regret if they are not spoken until it's too late.

So go on and make that phonecall right now...before it's too late.

A Wake-Up Call

2009-09-27T01:25:00.000-07:00

Tragedy struck my family a few weeks ago. My 40 year old cousin died unexpectedly leaving behind his wife and 4 young children. The oldest is 15 and the youngest is 5.

This tragedy was such a wake-up call for me and those around me. It made me start thinking about what's truly important.

I started to wonder how I would spend my time if I had only a few months left to live. What would I want to accomplish? What words would I not want to left unsaid? And I thought about who I needed to make peace with.

I made a long list and each day I've committed to choosing a few truly important things to do...because you never know when your time will be up.

Don't wait for tragedy to strike before you do the same.

A Letter From The Future

2009-09-25T00:45:00.000-07:00

Have you settled for a life that is less than what you really want it to be? Have you given up on your dreams?

Then it's time to write a letter....

Imagine that you are 2 years into the future and you're describing your ideal life to a close and trusted friend.
In the letter describe who you are living with and where you are living?
Tell your friend what you are doing for a living (Hint: It should be some job that you enjoy and are passionate about)
Describe your perfect day in detail.

Now once you've completed the letter, don't mail it. Instead place it in a place where you will see it often. I've placed my letter from the future on the front page of my journal.

Then read the letter frequently. Reading it often will help to keep your dreams in the forefront of your mind and help you to achieve them sooner.

Explore the Unfamiliar

2009-09-25T00:27:00.000-07:00

Are you stuck in a rut? Fed up of the same ho-hum days? Trapped by a dull routine?
Here are 5 ways to freshen things up without having to take a vacation:

Read a magazine that you wouldn't normally read from cover to cover.
Visit a new website or participate in a different social networking site.
If you normally gobble your lunch down, pack a picnic lunch and eat it outside or in the park.
Try a new ethnic cuisine that you haven't tried before
Drive a different route to work

Makeover your entire life with The MomsTown Guide To Getting It All.

The Mom Behind The Blog

2009-09-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

My name is Kelly Aveiro and I am a freelance writer and work at home mom who lives in South Africa. I have been married for 15 years and have 4 beautiful children ranging in age from 14-4. I love being a woman and a mother and I am passionate about enjoying every aspect of this vitally important role. I would like to share that passion and enjoyment with other moms all around the globe.

A Blog For All Busy Moms

2009-09-12T05:57:00.001-07:00

This blog is dedicated to all those busy, busy moms who are desperately trying to do it all. Kids, careers (or home based businesses), husbands, home organization and management, cooking, book and product reviews, health, work at home ideas and more. It's all here.

Golden nuggets of honest advice that really works together with honest book and product reviews - everything to make your life as a mom much, much easier.