Remember, if you’d like instant access to the links I love and a few other tips and tricks, you can sign up to be a follower on Facebook by clicking the Facebook icon at the top of the page or by following this link.  Here are the links from last week…

The Meanest Mom

Need a good laugh today? Take a few minutes to catch up on the day-to-day ramblings of The Meanest Mom Blog. It’s one of my favorites!

Target Coupons

Planning a trip to Target this weekend? Don’t go without checking this page first. It’s loaded with printable coupons for all kinds of great Target products.

Gourmet Mom On-The-Go

Do you have picky eaters in your house? Try this cool Mom’s simple trick for adding a little fun to her kids’ food.

I have a fairly thick mattress to begin with, so adding an additional four inches of foam made it virtually impossible for my even my deep-pocket sheet set to stay in place.  It would look nice and taught while I was making the bed, but the moment I laid down I could feel the elastic corners start to creep up the edge of the mattress.  By the morning, I was left with a saggy-sheet and a crumpled bed.

My first attempt to solve the problem was a $10 set of sheet-securing straps I found at Bed, Bath & Beyond.  They promised a secure fit, but they were incredibly hard to put on and popped off all the time.  I gave up on those after only a few days.  Then, while walking through the dollar spot at Target, I found the answer I’d been looking for – elastic mitten holders.  You know, those little things that attach mittens to your kid’s coat sleeves?  I snapped up two pairs for a buck each and figured it was worth a shot.

Amazingly, my little $2 solution worked perfectly.  They were a snap to put on (literally) and they kept the sheets taught all night.  I’ve used them for several months now and I’m still a big fan.  If you’ve got sagging sheets or simply don’t want to invest in the pricy deep-pocket sheets for your thick mattress, you may want to give this simple solution a try.  You should be able to find mitten holders in the winter clearance area of any big box store or in your local dollar store.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

I love Nurse On Call!  I use it all the time.  It’s such a great, mom-friendly service.  I’ve used it for everything from advice on my daughter’s ear ache to questions about what medicines were safe to take during pregnancy.  It’s a fantastic resource.

My husband’s company (Employers Health Network) sells Nurse On Call and other network services to businesses nationwide to help them reduce health care costs.  Nurse On Call has received such rave reviews from their members that they are now considering offering it to individuals and families as well.  EHN would like to glean a little market feedback to determine how they will proceed with this new line of service.  Since the vast majority of my readers are budget-savvy Moms (always on the lookout for simple ways to save time and money) they thought you’d be the perfect market research group.

Each reader who submits a survey will be automatically entered to win a $50 Target gift card (the winner will be drawn randomly).  As an added bonus, if your friend is chosen as the winner and she has listed your name in the referral area, you both win a $50 Target gift card!  If the winning reader does not have a referral name listed, she wins both cards.  Yep, that’s $100 just for filling out a simple survey.  Just think of the fun shopping spree you could have.   This survey was developed by my husband for his company and I can promise you there are no strings attached.  They simply want to get valuable feedback from their key market demographic – busy moms like you.

The contest will be open for two weeks, ending at midnight CST on March 4th.  The winner or winners will be announced here and contacted via email.  Good luck, everyone.  Remember, the more people you email about this post, the greater your chances of winning.  Just click the little green “share this” link below the survey, then choose the email tab in the pop-up window.  Thanks, in advance, for passing it on.

**This giveaway is now closed.**

AND THE RANDOMLY SELECTED WINNER IS … Survey number 103!  I can’t release your name because it was not provided on the form, but I will be contacting you via email today.  Congratulations on your big win!  I hope you and your referring friend have tons of fun at Target.

For additional information about EHN please visit their informative website.

The bank is a simple three-ring binder kept in my kitchen cupboard. Inside the binder I have one zippered pencil pouch for each of my kids. On the front I keep a statement sheet. The sheet has an simple table for each kid to jot down their deposits and withdrawals.Behind the kid’s pouches, I have another pouch that holds a calculator and a tithing envelope for each of the kids.

Whenever they get their allowance, earn money from a money job, or get money gifted to them. We pull out the bank binder. I help them write out the deposit amounts on the statement sheet and then make a 10% withdrawal for tithing.I don’t force them to deposit their money, but we do have a rule that if someone finds money in the couch cushions…or anywhere else, it goes into the family jar we keep on top of the fridge.

When they decide they want to spend their money we simply pull out the pouch and take it with us to the store. On fast Sundays, we pull out the tithing envelopes and bring them to church with us.It’s a simple system, but it has made a huge difference for me. My kids are excited to save and the fights are a thing of the past. As a side bonus, the whole tithing concept is much clearer for them. Just thought I’d pass it on. You can find the free file downloads for the cover and binder spine insert below.

On it I’ve got lists for my three most common stores (Sam’s/Costco, Grocery, WalMart/Target). I list my most common items by category (ie produce, dairy, houseware, etc.). I’ve left one or two blank spots under each category for those random items you only need now and then. I left the WalMart/Target store list blank because my list changes constantly for those stores. I printed 15 of each, cropped them and then stapled them to a piece of laminated cardstock. Each season, I adjust the lists a little to accomodate the changes in our menus.

The most convenient advantage of this list is that it stays on my cupboard where everyone in the family can find it. When I find that I’m out of something, I just have to open the cupboard door and check the box on my list. When it’s grocery day, I just grab the top list, jot down a rough menu for the week on the back and check off any additional items I might need. It’s quick, it’s simple and it’s something everyone in the family can use.  Just thought I’d pass it on.  You can find the free file download below.