From bras, to brakes, to back to school shopping. This was one of those marathon weeks in the life of me, when life became achingly exhausting. Deadlines mounted, a magazine article was due and then back and ready for edits that needed to be done yesterday and then of course brakes on my mini-van needed an unexpected service and eight paid jobs were due and so on and so forth. Oh, and somehow in there I am supposed to squeeze in massive dental restorations and back to school shopping – Huh?!  Anyways the life of a sandwich generation Mom is…

Outdoor movie night at my sister-in-law’s house. It was a great way to spend a late August night. A sheet hung off the patio set outside, a projector that is borrowed and a DVD from the library. Use your computer to connect with projector. Add some treats, some family members and enjoy. Also very economical. Wordless Wednesday is a photo meme, hosted by many. Tara’s View of the World is where I usually link up. I hope the rest of the days of summer are good to you and your family.

Who doesn’t love taco night? Seriously. We spent a week at the cottage recently and the fridge was bare when we got home. Imagine that, no little magical fairies exist that do my shopping when I am away. Luckily a truckload of boxes at my front door revealed this great Old El Paso Family Fun Kit. I was thrilled to crack it open and have a Mexican – themed evening. The kit contained one Old El Paso Extra Mild Super Tasty Hard Taco Kit, a container of salsa, jalapenos, refried beans, and a family-sized container of Old El Paso Hard…

I was shooting quick pictures of my daughter having fun at a trailer park where friends were staying recently when I spied her shadow. For some reason the image caught me as symbolic.  Wordless Wednesday is a regular photography hop. I like to link up at http://www.tarasviewoftheworld.com/

What a difference a year makes. Readers of thriftymommastips.com know all about this journey we have been on with my mom. It started one year ago and led us down a really rough path for a long period of time. It was tragic, drastic, devastating emotionally and financially, and it has left us all changed. Last summer, my Mom spent the greater part of two months in London hospitals as we tried to figure out what was going on. She was hallucinating and she was confused. Meanwhile her symptoms escalated. It was a sad and exhausting time _ one I…

Odds are good that if you are a parent and your kids are home this summer, they want to craft. I know mine do. All the time. Sometimes it is actually overwhelming trying to find crafts that keep us all engaged. (This I admit is not my strength.) So happily, this week our #LinkedMoms chat has great guest host Cynthia Gagen joining us (@cyngagen on twitter is well known as a crafty gal and a savvy social media practitioner. Oh and she’s local. Cyn(thia) Gagen honed her creative skills in cooking, crafting, teaching, parenting, and loving life by being a (sometimes annoying)…

School Is Out. Wahoo! Do a Little Dance or a Little Jig in Your Head. Truth is this year I have never been happier. I like having the kids home. They worked hard all year and it wasn’t an easy one. Too much change for little people can be strenuous and exhausting and this year, too many personnel at school changed over. Consistency was not the rule and my kids were stressed out. I am tired of Mommy taxi duty, and lunches, and I am more than tired of the need to advocate all the time for my children with…

Cooking With Kids feature is ready to go. This week we are  healthy again. I know, I know, what’s up with that? Well relatively healthy anyways. My kids love cauliflower, but mostly they love it cooked this way. Call it cauliflower casserole, if you want. My kiddo loves to grate cheese and the two girls could honestly eat a whole casserole dish of this stuff. No joke. Here’s the recipe: 1. Head of cauliflower. (Boil it 5-10 mins.) 2. Drain. Grate cheddar or mozzarella cheese – 1 cup 3. One cup mayonnaise and 4. One tsp of dijon mustard 5.…