Baby Shower Alternatives

Are you wondering what to expect for your very first baby shower? Or maybe no one has offered to throw you one yet? I have never been a huge fan, but if you are pregnant, you will most likely be thrown a shower. Don’t get me wrong, I love getting gifts, but being the center of attention, when you already feel like a giant pregnant lady, can sometimes be intimidating. For me, when I was pregnant with my first, I was living out of state from any family, and did not know many people. Luckily, a girl from church threw … Continue reading

Don’t Go Too Low When Buying a Home

We all know that it is definitely a buyers market right now. Anyone who is a good qualified home buyer has the opportunity to get so much more for their money today. Desperate home owners are throwing in all sorts of perks with the sale of their home, from free lawn service to fully stocked media rooms. With the situation being what it is, it may be tempted to make a really low offer on the house that you love. But this can wind up backfiring on you. A really low offer risks insulting an isolating your sellers, and it … Continue reading

The New Small House

Gone are visions of McMansions and large impressive houses with top of the line amenities. Instead, buyers and builders are looking toward smaller homes with tighter floor plans in an effort to bring home ownership and sales in line with the economy. Typical new homes during the boom were along the lines of 3,400 square feet and featured expensive amenities such as Tuscan style kitchens with granite countertops and top-of-the-line stainless steal appliances, archive rooms, media rooms, etc. Today, builders of new homes say that they typically switched to putting in 2,400 square foot homes that may be more affordable … Continue reading

The Best of the 2007 Baby Blog

It has been an exciting year in the baby blog with a few changes in bloggers, several news stories, a few series started, and of course lots of information and reflection. This is a list of the best of the best. . .the best news, the best advice and the best of my personal favorites. With that I wish you all a Happy New Year, and look forward to an exciting year in 2008! Ask a Baby Blogger Series–This, in my opinion is one of the best things the baby blog has to offer. Granted, it’s my advice which I … Continue reading

Baby Blog Week in Review: Feb. 3 through Feb. 9

Sorry that this is a little late. Poor Heather has been under the weather. Did you miss something last week? We’ve covered everything from products you don’t want in the same house with a baby to hot topics like breastfeeding in public and religious opposition to standard medical procedure. If you missed something, check it out now! Sunday, Feb. 3 Should Medical Exemptions be Justified By Religious Beliefs? We tackled the story of a couple who did not want their daughter’s blood drawn within the state mandated period of 48 hours after birth. There is no easy answer here, but … Continue reading

Don’t Buy These with a Baby in the House

I have written in the homeschooling blog about how much my five year old son likes anything remotely related to science. He is especially thrilled with physical science. So when we saw the little Magnetix magnet kits in the store, we immediately thought we had a great Christmas present. But we eventually went with a cooler, bigger, more geekish science related toy and left the magnets on their shelf. Have you ever felt the magnet sets? They are surprisingly strong. They have to be, they are designed so that you can build structures with them. The sets contain several little … Continue reading

Go for Broke

My sweet little baby wants nothing more than to not be my sweet little baby. According to my six going on 16-year-old daughter, she is the only one in her entire first grade class to have every single one of her baby teeth intact. Being a Recess Mom, I know that she is not exaggerating. She really is the only one in her class who has yet to loose a tooth. However, I am secretly thrilled she hasn’t. Personally, I think the gap-toothed look is hard to rock. Loosing pearly whites changes the entire landscape of one’s appearance and brings … Continue reading

What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA is a great way to have your household become connected with your community, while enjoying fresh food and even some great savings. In today’s modern form of CSA, community members buy shares in a farm or from a farming community. In turn, these members get to share in the bounty of the farm’s harvest. Members get local, seasonal produce and other farm products. There are a lot of rewards in this system for both the farmer and the member. Benefits to CSA Some of the benefits that you will experience when you are part of … Continue reading

What Are Mortgage Points?

Whether you are thinking about refinancing or getting a mortgage for the first time, whether or not to opt for points can be a confusing and sticky decision. Here is a quick explanation of points and some general guidelines about whether or not it is worth paying down points to get a lower interest rate. What are points? When applying for your mortgage loan, you may be asked if you want to pay points. Points are a lump upfront sum of interest that you can pay at the initiation of your loan to lower your overall interest rate. The more … Continue reading

Hiring a Professional Home Stager

These days, if you want or need to sell your home, you’ll need to do everything you can to make it stand out from the crowd. One of the ways to do this is to hire a professional stager who will stage your home the exact right way for your particular market. Here is some general information about professional home stagers. Within the last four years, the practice of staging a home has increased to the point where a majority of homes on the market feature some sort of staging, whether it is done by a home owner or a … Continue reading