Mommy Has to Work

Clever Ways to Save Money for Your Next Family Vacation

July 17, 2019 By Anne

Family trips are great ways to bond with your children and take a break from your daily routine. For parents, this includes work and household chores while children get to take a breath from their school and homework routine. It’s a win-win for everyone, however, we all know that family vacations can be pricey!

When planning a trip with the entire family you need to consider the following:

Airfare
Home rental or hotel
Food and supplies
House/pet sitter if necessary

These are only a few of the expenses you’ll face when planning a vacation and as you can see, it all adds up quickly. Fortunately, there are ways you can save money for your trip and have an enjoyable family experience without breaking the bank!

Here are 5 ways you can save money for your next family vacation:

Be Flexible with Dates

If you’re on the hunt for the best rates when it comes down to airplane tickets and hotels in Orlando, stay away from holidays or weekends. Instead, consider mid-week stays. If you’re certain of the destination you want to go to, compare costs throughout the year. Sometimes flying out a day earlier or later makes all the difference.

Stay Outside the City

You’ll be surprised by how much you can save when you decide to stay outside the city center. Because these are tourist attractions you’ll be looking at higher pricing as opposed to staying at a hotel outside this area. The benefits of doing this include saving money but also sleeping in a quieter area. You’ll also be able to see another part of the city that you wouldn’t have visited if it wasn’t because you decided to stay a bit outside the city.

Save Money in Unlikely Places

Did you know that you could save hundreds of dollars if you made simple changes like lowering your electric bill? You can do this by watching less TV and turning off those lights when they’re not needed. Some people also like to unplug appliances like their toaster and microwave to lower electric bills.

Moreover, compare energy rates to see if there is a less expensive provider in your area. There are companies like Power Setter that will do the busy work for you and help you save on your energy bills. You can get more information from the Powersetter website and be on your way to family vacation savings!

Rent Out Your House

If you’re comfortable with this idea, you can rent out your home while you’re away. This is a great way to make some money while you’re out traveling with your family. It will also give you back most of the money you’re already spending on renting out a hotel or home while away.

There are several companies like Airbnb that makes the process of setting your home up for home rental easy. We also recommend you hire a professional cleaning service to clean up before you get back home. It will be as if no one was ever there!

How About a Resort?

Resorts are a lot of fun and make vacationing easy. There are hundreds of family-friendly resorts to choose from that will fit your budget! The reason so many families decide on going to a resort is because they’re usually all-inclusive. You’ll have a place to sleep, eat, swim, lay out and have fun without having to worry about transportation or where to dine out.

Using these 5 tips will help you save money when planning your next family vacation. We wish you the best of luck and happy travels!

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

5 Top Tips for Keeping the Whole Family Healthy this Summer

July 17, 2019 By Anne

Great job, moms – you made it to summer break! Summertime doesn’t exactly mean you get a break from the hustle and bustle of the school year. Summer break is a time for your children to start summer camp or for the parents to take their family on a vacation. Summer bucket lists can cause the busyness to rival that of the rest of your year.

When you get this busy, it can be tempting to choose the easy options in life such as eating fast food more frequently and overall being less active. Resist those temptations by following these simple tips for keeping your family happy and healthy this summer:

Hydrate

This is an obvious point, but it is so important that it is worth bringing up anyways. No matter who you are, you probably need to drink more water, and so does your family.

Children especially need to make sure they are staying hydrated. Your kids will be burning energy running around all summer, so before they leave make sure they have a reusable bottle full of water.

Keep Your Home Clean

Having your home cleaned regularly is helpful for your day to day health. Regular dusting and vacuuming alone is enough to reduce effects of some allergies. However, there is always more that can be done. While the usual house cleaning chores can be divided up amongst your family, there are some things that may be outside of your realm of expertise.

Regions such as Florida that experience impressive amounts of rain and humidity cause homes to grow mold. Some molds are not as harmful as others, but you want to make sure you have a mold-free home for your family’s health and safety. Mold removal in the Miami area can be costly, which is why finding the right company to do this service is crucial. Mold can grow in any part of your house, but it can be especially prominent in areas that encounter a lot of moisture such as your kitchen or your bathroom.

Eat Right

Children are the pickiest eaters, so in order to get them eating healthy, you may need to start small and work your way up. Begin this road to healthy eating by increasing their fruit and vegetable intake.

Start incorporating more fruit into desserts until fruit becomes the substitute to sugary snacks as the sweet treat your child is craving. Carrots and peanut butter are a good way to get your child into snacking on raw carrots.

Plan Family Activities

Remember that you are your child’s biggest role model, so you should own up to that on a daily basis. Strive to do something active every day, even if it is as simple as walking to a store nearby for errands as opposed to driving.

Go on a family trip to a garden, zoo, or trail that will actively engage your children while they exercise by walking along with you. This can also go hand in hand as a learning experience for your kids to branch out and discover what else they are interested in as they explore.

Wear Sunscreen

The summer sun is no joke. If you and your family are spending any amount of time outdoors, make sure to wear sunscreen. Sunburn increases your chances of developing skin cancer.

Wearing sunscreen is recommended for every time you go outside. Some products are definitely better than others in this department, so be sure to ask your family dermatologist for recommendations of the most protective types of sunscreens. Generally, always use SPF30 or above for fairer skin tones.

Anne

How To Help A Child With Hearing Problems

July 12, 2019 By Anne

Hearing problems can affect any child, and as a parent, thinking your child is struggling to hear can be frightening. There are some signs you can look out for to spot a problem early and seek treatment. Many hearing problems are caused by simple things like ear infections or wax build-ups and can be treated with ear-drops or antibiotics. For more serious problems, your GP may suggest a hearing aid.

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All children have regular check-ups as they grow, and at this standard childhood appointments, your Doctor will check your child’s hearing to make sure no issues are developing.

If you have family members with hearing issues, make sure to watch out for the same signs in your children. Hearing loss can also be caused by premature birth, birth complications and newborn jaundice. Later on, some medications can cause problems, as can regular ear infections or exposure to very loud noises.

To protect your child’s hearing, make sure you always have any ear infections treated promptly. If you’re taking your child to somewhere loud, like a concert, protect them with ear defenders to avoid damage to their ears.

Look out for hearing milestones. All children, from birth, should react to sudden or loud noises. By 3 months, your baby should recognise your voice. By 6 months, your baby should react to loud sounds by turning their heads towards the direction of the noise. Once your baby starts to become a toddler and reaches a year old, they should be mimicing sounds and beginning to form words. Not reaching milestones on time isn’t always a reason to worry; some children just develop later than others. If you’re concerned, make an appointment with your doctor to be sure.

As your child grows, any hearing struggles should be easier to spot. Look out for kids who are behind their peers with learning speech, or who don’t react to their name. Are they slower to learn than the other children? Do they appear to ignore you when you speak to them? If your child frequently struggles to hold conversation, becomes frustrated in rooms with a lot of background noise or often asks for the television or any music to be turned up, it may be worth having their hearing checked out.

If your GP thinks there is a problem, they will refer your child to a specialist. A paediatric hearing specialist will check your child’s ears and then test their responses to sounds with a series of games. This means the test isn’t scary for even young children.

If your child does need help, there are lots of hearing aid options available. For kids, it’s important to choose a hearing aid which is easy to use and comfortable to wear. Look at 100% rechargeable hearing aids to make sure you can keep your childs’ aids working at all times. Try a variety of fits to find what works best for your child. The best hearing aid for your child is one they will actually wear.

Anne

9 Must Have Gadgets For Pregnancy9 Must Have Gadgets For Pregnancy

July 12, 2019 By Anne

If you’re pregnant for the first time, it’s natural to want to track every last detail and buy every gadget on the market to help you do that. But which pregnancy gadgets are actually worth having?

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Fetal doppler. A doppler machine lets you listen to the baby’s heartbeat. If you’re finding it difficult to wait to listen to your baby’s heart between doctor’s appointments, this machine could give you peace of mind. With some dopplers, you can even record heartbeat to share with the grandparents.
Contraction tracker. A contraction tracker can be used all through the pregnancy to help you notice patterns. If you know what’s normal for your body, you can screen out false alarms later on in the pregnancy, and feel more sure your contractions are the real deal when you go into labour. You can also use the tracker to help your partner understand what you’re feeling. Try Bloomlife, a rentable piece of kit, which is the first and only wearable for pregnancy in the world.
Anti-sickness wristbands. Nausea is one of the most unpleasant side effects of pregnancy. There are lots of remedies out there, but for a natural alternative, try anti-nausea wristbands. Usually sold for motion sickness, these bands work by pressing on your wrist’s pressure points, which interrupts feelings of nausea.
Bump headphones. You can now special ‘headphones’ for placing on your bump to play sounds to your baby. Many expectant mothers enjoy playing music to their baby in the womb, and find that listening to soothing sounds relaxes them both. Try it out, and see if it works for you.
Kick trackers. Logging every scrap of data you can? A kick tracker can be used to track and log every movement and kick of your baby. Spot patterns on when baby is most active, and what sort of movement they’re up to.
A Tens machine. A Tens machine uses small electrical pulses to provide natural pain relief. They’re great during contractions to make things more comfortable. Check with your doctor before investing in one, however, and practice using it before the big day.
Digital baby book. Go digital with your baby book so it’s always safe and can be more easily shared. Using a free template, you could create a simple website where you can track updates about your pregnancy and the baby when it arrives. Never worry about losing the book, and a website is far easier to share with the whole family at once so they can up with how you’re doing.
A razor reach. Reaching your shins to shave your legs with a baby bump in the way is a real challenge. If you’re still bothered about having hair-free legs, a razor reach is a great tool. The long plastic handle makes reaching with your razor much easier.
Pregnancy pillows. Sleeping while pregnant is a real challenge. Get a good pregnancy pillow to help you find a comfortable position. You can even get ones with a hole in the middle for your bump if you’re usually a front sleeper.

Anne

Kids Will Love this Fun and Easy Orbeez DIY Underwater Adventure Creation!

July 8, 2019 By Marijean

Trying to keep the kids occupied on hot/rainy summer days is sometimes a struggle. I am always looking for cheap but fun craft activities the kids can do when the weather is bad. I came across Orbeez, and they are so much fun for my kids. I am going to share a fun DIY activity that is not only affordable, but keep the kids having fun for hours and days!

Below is what you will need to create a fun underwater creation with your kids.

Orbeez Underwater Adventure

Bag of aquarium rocks

Small fish bowl

Aquarium plants and decorations

2 containers of Orbeez Grown Orbeez Bottles in clear color (or choose from a variety of colors to give your water a pop of color)

Orbeez Wow World Wowzer Surprise (each contains 1 surprise, purchase as many as you’d like for your aquarium to come to life).

Step 1: Start by pouring the rocks into the bottom of the fish bowl.

Step 2: Decorate the fish bowl any way you would like.

Step 3: Take your Grown Orbeez Bottles and pour into the fish bowl. Make sure you use enough to fill it.

Step 4: Reveal which Orbeez Wow World Wowzer Surprise Wowzer you have! Pour water into the top of the glove to reveal your Wowzer.

Step 5: Put your Wowzer in the fish bowl.

Step 6: Pour water into the fish bowl to watch your fish bowl come to life!

The best thing about Orbeez is that they can be reused again and again to make all kinds of fun creations! My kids had an absolute blast with these Orbeez products! I highly recommend these products to keep your kids busy this summer!

Orbeez Grown Orbeez Bottles are available at Target, Walmart, Walgreens and Amazon. Orbeez Wow World Wowzer Surprise Series are available at Target, Amazon, and Claire’s.

*I received the above products in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.