Egg Hunt Hint

Come and win some fabulous prizes in the EART TEAM EGG HUNT!
Need some help on where to find these hidden Easter Eggs? I have created this image to help you out! The Egg is not hidden in this listing! haha! It is just an example!


There are two different Eggs in each participating shop hidden in this way. Just CONVO the seller with the links to both eggs and you are in for a chance at winning some great prizes!! More details here.

Teaching Kids About Money...

I'm a firm believer that it's never too early to start teaching kids about money. I have 3 kids (5,4,2) and we have recently started working with the older 2 in more depth. Up to this point we've been putting their money that they have earned and received into clear banks so that they could see their money grow. As it reached x amount of dollars it went to the bank and they were allowed a certain amount of it to spend.

We have decided to take it one step further. Have you noticed when you give young kids money, they tend to lose it wherever they go? It ends up washed in pockets, lost in the street or tucked into couch cushions or on the floor in the car. I purchased a tub of pretend but sturdy money at the local teacher supply store (shown in the photo above) and now whenever they are given money, I take it straight away* and give them the fake money equivalent. (This is just if we are out at a grandparents house or such.)

Once at home they put it into their clear banks. (Better to do this instead of real money, because they would tend to shake the banks just to play with the money. As soon as the money went in, we would take out the piece of paper that was in there and tally up the total in case they got into it or it spilled over. When we have more time ( I try to do this every night they get money) we sit together and add up the money in the clear bank and put into their 'check book register' (Shown in the photo below). I found these pretend check books at the dollar store. We keep track of all of their money in these. WHENEVER we go out of the house, I pop their checkbooks into my purse and when they want something they need to check if they have enough money. This is a GREAT way for them to learn that not everything is free.

If they decide to go ahead and make the purchase, I pay for it myself, but take the receipt and tuck it into their checkbooks. When we get home at the end of the day, we all sit together (the entire family) and look at what was spent. Each child must write out their own checks (They just need to know how to spell things, but they can write). They write the store it came from and then sign it and the amount, just like a REAL check. They tear it out, staple it to the receipt and give it to me.

Next, we get their banks and take the money OUT of the bank*, so they know that it's physically gone. We then update the register as well (GREAT way of incorporating math). The children now think twice about wanting stuff and when ANYTHING is in the cart, they ALWAYS ask if mommy is paying for it!

I'm hoping to raise fiscally responsible children that understand the value of the dollar and how hard people work for money. At young ages they do chores already to earn their money. (Helping make beds, clear and whipe down tables, wash the baseboards etc.) Please share your money saving ideas as well!

*All money we take from them (even if spent) is put straight into their savings accounts.

Totally New n Funky!

Check it out NOW!

Thursday Blog Ring, What I Want!

The Eart Team is having an Easter Egg Hunt, with the chance to win some amazing prizes! Today we were posed with the question which item would we want to win, if we could enter the contest? Mine comes from HairBowsWonderWorld. I'm in love with the funkiness and femininity of this hairpiece! Fantastic!!! I LOVE IT!

Follow this blog ring by starting at the EART TEAM BLOG.

Another Year Older? Wiser?

This weekend, we went to a Quicenera and had a blast, it was just what the relationship Doctor ordered, when we left our kids after the mass with grandma and headed to the reception alone. We noticed other parents with kids on their laps or on the dancefloor and while having fun, their significant others were cast aside. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. It was a bit nervewracking, as I NEVER and I mean NEVER leave my kids with anyone else! haha! I'm a SAHM and husband and I only go out 2xs a year for over 5 hours and leave the kids with my parents. Other than that it's usually just an hour or 2 dinner out. It was a nice break from our normal routine and by the 4th rum and coke, we didn't even talk about them every time we chatted! hahaha!!

Yesterday, I turned 30 and I've never felt better! I weigh less than I did on my wedding day, I happier than I have ever been and healthier too. Life is good and I'm fallin in love with my husband all over again. This is going to be a great year, I am going to make sure of that. I must remember that every negative experience should be turned into a lesson, and not let it get me down. Only we can control how we let others make us feel. With last year closing behind me, I am ready to embrace my 30s and truly make them the best ever. I spent too much of my 20s worried about something or other. Early 20s it was college and life, mid 20s I was planning a wedding, getting married and becoming a mommy. Finally in my late 20s,I was bust juggling motherhood and being a wife. I neglected alot, mainly myself and realized that I had to change. I put myself FIRST. A little make up, some nice shoes and getting out of jammies can make anyone feel like a supermodel! A happy wife and mother makes the kids and husband so much happier too! So here is to an awesome 30th year for me and the start of a newer, better me!

Your Chance To Win Prizes!

Read all about our Teams Easter Egg Hunt here!

Tax Time Thursday!

Taxes?! YIKES!! It's almost time huh? This Thursdays blog ring tackles the Tax Topic and whether you do them yourself or you have someone prepare them for you! For me the solution is easy since there is no way we could figure this all out on our own! I have my very own file cabinet where everything gets filed away for the entire year. At the end of the month everything in each folder goes into an envelope and back into the file cabinet. At the end of the year it all goes into a larger envelope and heads of to the accountants. With a small business, I don't want to make any mistakes, so I find it easier to put it into the hands of someone I trust. I'm not talking about those fly-by-night only here in the midst of tax season places that hires anyone and everyone to work there, but a truly genuine accountant that is there year round to answer questions on whether or not my new laptop can be written off (true question) or how much of my electricity bill can I post to them...etc..etc... My file folders break down like this:

Supplies Receipts

Shipping Receipts

Items Sold

Items Listed and Renewed and any other fees

Items Written Off (Broken or Replaced or Lost in the Mail)

Misc.

This helps keep everything in one place so that I don't have to mess around with anything come tax day.

Blog Fun!

New Blog Widget! I love how cool this new widget is! It's my very own MUST HAVE shopping list! Perfect for my husband around my brithday time (next week). It's over on the left hand side of my blog, just scroll down. You can hover over the shopping list and it will pull up my notes on the pieces. It's so fun to just add things to my wanted list whenever I need it I love it!

Saturday is Gone....Time Change!

Happy Weekend Readers! We spent this afternoon at the Children's Museum in town and the kids had an absolute blast, with so much to do Gabriel's favorite thing was still to watch the cars on the highway go over the bridge on the water. This little guy is totally obsessed with bridges! What did you spend your Saturday doing?
Don't forget about the time change! I always seem to forget and end up the next day totally discombobulated hahah! Even now that I have warned you, I'm sure I will still forget!

This weekends Mindless Reading!Blonde Ambition by Zoey Dean. I haven't even cracked the spine yet, so I have no information to share! I just picked it up because it was pink! hahaa!

Enjoy the weekend Readers!

~Michelle!~

Get Motivated

Hello Thursday! Another week that just seems to be flying by! I can't believe that it is finally starting to feel like Spring here in the Midwest! Yay! This weeks blog ring has us trying to get motivated! Sometimes you just want to sit back and not do anything or you just are not in the mood to create. I sometimes get so frustrated during these blocks that I just don't have any solutions on how to get back on track. A few things that seem to help me out are:

Cleaning up my Studio. A clean studio will help me create faster if I can see exactly what I have and where I have it. Organization is something that I love to do! It always helps me see what I have not used in awhile or what is ready to be tossed into the destash bucket!

Buying New Supplies. When all else fails, I know that I can go and buy some new baubles or trinkets and inspiration will hit straight away. I try not to use this one as much (In case of Emergency only!! haha) as I limit myself to when I can purchase supplies and how much I can spend out of that budget.

I love hearing what other people do when they hit a brick wall, so I started a thread in the ETSY FORUMS. Head on over there and share your ideas or just read what others shared!

Follow this blog ring with all the participating members of the EART TEAM by heading on over to our TEAM BLOG and find out how these Eclectic Artisans get out of a rut!

Enjoy the rest of your week readers! Get out there and make it a great day!!!

Monday Madness

Mondays are overwhelming! I actually did manage to list some new stuff though! Head on over and check it out please!
Don't forget to change up your featured items! Give your customers a peek to what's in the back of the shop!

Quick Note!

WOW! So I finished reading the book Change of Heart, just this very minute and I must say; WOW! It was a book that really had me thinking. There was so much to take in and so much going on that half the time I didn't even realize I was holding my breath until I turned the page and let it out! As you can see I finished it in less than a day, but that's normal for me. I love to absorb books and just read them as quickly as possible. This one is a definate YES, on the reccomendation list. I had been busy all day, that it pained me to be away from my book until we got home at 10 this evening and put the kids straight to bed! It's been awhile since I read a page turner like this. I will share my next book tomorrow after a visit to the library!

Reading Today

Just a nice and light topic today! I am an avid reader, I LOVE LOVE LOVE to read alot and usually always have a book or two in my purse! I thought today I would share with you the books I have sitting on my nightstand right now, since I decided to take a break and blog. My novel is Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. I decided on this one simply because it was in the book exchange rack at the gymnastics center that my kids belong to and I had just finished reading a book, so it worked out well. I am only on page 24 as I just started reading this about 20 minutes ago! haha! So far so good! Hope it keeps up. Have you read this yet? Let me know what you thought!
My next book is the Lonely Planet Guide to Mexico. Yes, I'm Mexican and Yes, I have been to Mexico plenty of times, but I figured it would be better to be prepared this year. When we went last year, we found ourselves regretting not taking more time to travel to smaller cities and do more unknown things as well as the 'norm'. This time we are well prepared with a calendar and plotted out days and day trips and even some overnighters. It will be perfect all around. I love picking up the now well-worn pages of this book and flipping through all the cities that we can possibly make it to. Our trip is in December and we will be going for 2 weeks for the Holidays. That should be a lot of fun!

Share your reading list readers!!!

Thursday Blog Ring - Favorite Shops

Hello Thursday! Today were are sharing our favorite shops with you! These shops also happen to be members of the EART TEAM! My first fave is EDCcollective, I have ordered from her before and her work is amazing! I love her photographs and so many of her earrings too! She is super sweet and very professional to work with. I have my eye on some other items in her shop too! She has a great selection of items to choose from in her shop, my favorites are the bookmarks, but that could be because I am addicted to reading! hahah! Take a browse around and tell me what you think!
Next on my list of favorites is PunkyNMunky, home of the no slip hair clip! My daughter has super fine hair and I have this shamrock clip in my cart right now! I love her sculptures of ribbon and her colorful bow collections too! SO much fun in her shop. Take a minute to look around and feel free to ask her a question! She too is another kind lady from our team!! There are too many shops to choose from on our team! haha! Another favorite one is PNKGEENI cards. She has the cutest and most creative cards and great quality! Please take a minute to browse her shop and pick up some cards for the upcoming holidays!! Enjoy!

Please head on to the EART TEAM BLOG in order to see who else is a favorite on our members list!!!

Shop Dress Up

A quick dress up revival for your shop! Change up your featured items at the top of your shop so that you can bring inventory from the back, up to the front without having to renew them! I love playing with color themes in order to get it all to flow!

Happy March

YAY! I finally had a few minutes to myself to churn out some good work and I'm so glad I was also able to get them listed! I hope I don't have to go that long in between beging able to create new items again. I hope that March brings with it a healthier Season and less sickness in our house! Did you know that I am turning 30 this month?!? How exciting! I can't believe i have been on this planet for 30 years. It seems so much longer! haha! I feel like I have not quite accomplished what I was put on this earth to do yet, so hopefully I can figure out just what that may be.
No school today, so I have several plans going on today for the kiddies! We are working on a new grouping of sight words early in the morning and then reading some new library books. We will be having waffles and fresh fruit for breakfast and then I have several activities planned! I hope it's a fun day! We will be baking cookies and decorating them and then we will be stringing beads to make backpack bling! hahaha!! Enjoy your Monday readers!!