• An Eye for An Eye: Often the most successful discipline takes the least amount of effort.  When my 9 year-old daughter left the lids off the markers and ditched them on the carpet (for the third time), I grabbed one of the washable markers and wrote “I love my MOM!” in big letters on her arms and forehead – then sent her out to play with her friends.  She was mortified, of course, but I’m pretty sure the message sunk in.
• Stairs to Nowhere: When I was little, my Dad would make us run laps around the house (one lap for each year of age).  I adapted this technique for my own house by making my kids run up and down our 15-step flight of stairs.  I love this one because it can be used for almost anything.  If they take 45 minutes to finish a 10 minute chore, 5 sets of stairs.  If they completely ignore me when I ask them to turn off the wii, 10 sets of stairs.  If they get out of a math test by telling their teacher I’m in the hospital having a baby, …well you get the idea.
• A Different Kind of Pillow Fight: There are few things I hate more than shouting – especially whiny shouting.  When they were little, I used to force the offenders to sit across from each other and sing the BYU fight song until they could be friendly again.  Now that they’re older I don’t have as much time to be the mediator so I’ve instituted a new rule – the kids are welcome to shout at each other as loud as they can as long as they cover their faces with a pillow and shout through it.  Generally I’ve found that the muffled result causes a lot of laughter and cools down any heated tempers.

Ok, you know the drill, I shared a few of mine now it’s time for you to share yours.  Good news!  This month I have a great little commenting incentive for you.  Mariah from the Etsy shop ‘look what Mariah Made with love‘ has generously offered to give away one of her incredibly popular Onsie Cuddle Sacs to a very lucky commenter.  These adorable little newborn garments are a perfect example of form meeting function – they’re made of gorgeous materials (don’t you just love that chunky grosgrain ribbon at the bottom?) and the clever design makes those frequent newborn diaper changes a cinch.  Whether you’ve got a little of your own or just want to have a fabulous baby shower gift on hand – you’ll definitely want to give this giveaway a try.

The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday (June 21) at midnight CST.  The winner will be chosen at random, contacted by email and announced here.  There’s no catch…you can choose any fabric you like from her collection and the shipping is included.

As always, to those of you who participate, thanks in advance for passing it on.

*This giveaway is now closed.

And the winner (chosen by the iPhone app iChoose) is #16 Rachal.  Congratulations on your big win, Rachal.  I’ll be contacting you via email tonight.  Thanks to all of you for sharing your parenting wisdom.

First, I tried the WalMart brand, White Cloud.  They were significantly cheaper than the name brand diapers and it showed.  They were thin and loose and a total waste twelve bucks.  I ended up selling the rest of the pack at a garage sale for $1.  Next, I tried the Sams Club brand, Strollers.  Much to my surprise, they were awesome.  They were just as durable as the name-brand version and never leaked.  Plus, by opting for the generic diapers instead of the Huggies I usually buy, I save almost $300 per year.  I just wish it hadn’t taken me four kids to figure it out!  It’s painful to think how much money I could have saved.

So for today’s Talk to Me Tuesday post, I’m asking for your best (and worst) generic brand finds.  What products have you found that are just as good as the name-brand alternative?  On the flip side, what generic brands have you tried that didn’t stack up to your expectations?  Or, what name-brand products do you use that are worth the extra cash?  We’re all trying to budget a little more carefully these days so do your fellow MeckMom readers (and me) a favor by taking a minute to share your best money-saving finds in the comments area below.  As always, to those of you who comment, thanks in advance for passing it on.

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.

So for today’s Talk to Me Tuesday post I’m asking for your help.  I need some fabulous Turkey Day Tips.  What tricks do you have up your sleeve that help you pull off a warm, family-friendly Thanksgiving?  What recipes do you love?  How do you organize your timing to pull everything off?  What traditions do you incorporate into your Thanksgiving celebration? How do you involve your kids in the preparations? Are there any cooking tools or tips that save you time and energy on the big day?

To get you started, I thought I’d share my new favorite turkey recipe.  Last year, I made a maple & sage roasted turkey and I can honestly say it was the most delicious turkey I’ve ever tasted – moist, tender and packed with flavor.  My house smelled fantastic for hours!  I found it on Food Network’s website.  You can find the link here.  The recipe includes a corn bread stuffing but I skipped it and used a box mix instead.  If any of you give it a shot, I hope you’ll let me know if it was worth it.

Now it’s your turn to pass on your favorite Turkey Day Tips.  As always, to those of you who comment, thanks – in advance – for passing it on.