Dec
2017

How to Get Rid of Your Eczema

categories: Parenting, Tips & Tricks
How to Treat Your Eczema

Ok, guys, weird topic coming to you: eczema treatment! But I’m doing this because I know I’m not the only one out there that’s putting obscene amounts of lotion on their hands in this cold, dry weather.  

And if you’ve ever had eczema before (and if you have, then I’m willing to bet your lovely kids inherited the miserableness!), then you’re probably dreading what’s inevitably ahead of you this season: a horrid case of eczema…that just doesn’t. go. away.

I’ve had it, my son had it, and with my daughter’s first winter has come her first case of eczema.

Which brings me to this post…because last year, I FINALLY found a cure for our eczema. I’m not kidding. And this year, I’ve already had a chance to test it out once again…and AGAIN, IT WORKED.

I started using our secret weapon on my daughter a week ago and…voila! Her stint as an eczema sufferer is looking to be the shortest this family has ever experienced.  And my son’s (and my) eczema still hasn’t come back.

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Dec
2017

50 Ways to Be a Happier Stay-at-Home Mom

categories: Inspiration & Motivation, Parenting, Parenting Inspiration, Tips & Tricks
How to Be a Happier Stay-at-Home Mom

Being a stay-at-home mom is a blessing…that can sometimes feel like a curse.  You get to experience every beautiful moment of your child’s life…along with every miserable one.  You get to create the home of your dreams…and witness its daily destruction and resurrection.

It’s fulfilling, inspiring, and exciting…but it’s also thankless, degrading, and lonely.  So sometimes you just need something to help you be a happier SAHM.

So when you’re having one of those moments where you just need to hit the reset button, try one of these ideas!  They will help you refresh, perk up, and be a happier you.

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Dec
2017

How to Turn Old Christmas Cards into Forever Keepsakes

categories: Christmas, Christmas Crafts, Holidays, Parenting, Tips & Tricks
How to Turn Old Christmas Cards into Keepsake Magnets

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is opening up Christmas cards from family and friends…especially the photo ones!

So each and every year I am twisted apart trying to figure out what to do with them when the holiday season ends.  Throwing them away seems awful, saving them seems pointless.

So I end up making a choice – some stay on the fridge permanently, some sadly head to the trash.

Until this year.

Finally, I came up with a way to not only save them, but actually give them a practical purpose!

Ready for it???

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Nov
2017

10 Business Documentaries that will Completely Blow Your Mind

categories: Documentaries, Financial Freedom, Financial Inspiration, Inspiration & Motivation, TV, Movies & Books
Business Documentaries that Will Blow Your Mind

If you’re a regular reader here, I’m sure you saw this one coming!  As a documentary fanatic and personal finance fanatic, there just had to be a list of amazing business documentaries.  Because those are the best!

Most of the documentaries on this list are at the top of my all-time favorites list and quite a few of them are brand new, which makes them even better.  Not only will you learn from these, but most will also keep you on the edge of your seat!

Ok, now to the good stuff….Happy Watching!!

If you’d like more tips on saving money, making money, getting out of debt, and reaching early retirement, subscribe to my Financial Freedom Mailing List for notification when new posts are published. Or, if you want to receive notification for all new posts from MBAsahm, join my Main Mailing List and receive tips on living a fulfilled life, parenting, and raising happy kids in addition to achieving financial freedom. I hope you enjoy everything you read! Thanks for your time!

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Nov
2017

How to Get a Picky Eater to Eat More Food

categories: Food & Cooking, Parenting, Parenting Inspiration, Tips & Tricks
Strategies to Get a Picky Eater Eating More Food

My son is a seriously, seriously picky eater.  He has been for…well, basically forever.  The agony of trying to get new foods in him is something I never imagined!  And for every hour I spend trying to get him to eat new foods, I spend another hour convincing myself that pretzels might actually be nutritious.

I don’t like forcing him, which is fine because that never works anyways.  So over the past few years I have tried tons of strategies to get him to eat more.  Some have worked, some have failed.  What I can tell you is that I have yet to find a magic bullet that can transform my picky eater into a foodie.  So don’t beat yourself up if your child only eats goldfish and bread.  It’s not ideal, but it’s also not unusual.  You’re not alone!

So the strategies that you’re about to read are what have worked for a picky eater who is still a picky eater – but with a little more variety.  Because this is reality!  

Give these strategies a try to see if you can add even just one or two new things to your picky eater’s diet:

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Nov
2017

How to Turn Budgeting into a Date Night

categories: Financial Freedom, Financial Inspiration, Investing, Marriage, Saving Money
How to Create a Budgeting Date Night

I know what you are thinking: “Wow, Nikki. You guys must really have a lot of fun in your house. Budgeting date night. What a blast.”  And I get it. Budgeting gets a bad wrap.  It’s boring, restrictive, and uncomfortable.

Unless, of course, you make it fun, empowering, and inspiring.  Then, budgeting takes on a whole new life and becomes PERFECT for a date night.

THAT is what we do in our house.  We’ve turned budgeting into something we look forward to.  It motivates and excites us.  We love it so much that we do it to relieve stress and relax.  If we haven’t seen each other in a while and want to reconnect, we have a budgeting date night.

It makes us financially stronger, it helps to visualize our dreams and set goals, and every time we have one of our date nights we’re one step closer to getting to our ultimate goal of financial freedom and early retirement.

So are you ready to have the best date night ever?  Here’s what you need to do to make it perfect:

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Nov
2017

Adding Hygge to Your Christmas: 10 Ways to Make Christmas Even Happier

categories: Activities & Crafts, Christmas, Holidays, Inspiration & Motivation, Parenting
10 Ways to Add Hygge to Your Christmas

Hygge, the age-old Danish concept of happiness, has traveled the high seas and is working it’s way through the American culture.  Its popularity isn’t surprising – Denmark is consistently ranked as the happiest country in the world. So why wouldn’t we want to take a page from their book?

Christmas is no exception.  In fact, if there was ever a time you should work on increasing the hygge in your life, it would be the holidays. As luck would have it, Christmas and hygge go hand-in-hand, so adding hygge to the holiday season is easy and enjoyable.

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Nov
2017

The Best Bath Toys for 1-Year Old Girls

categories: Gift Guides, Gift Guides for Children, Parenting, Tips & Tricks
The Best Bath Toys for 1-Year Old Girls

Without a doubt, one of my favorite times of day is bath time.  Maybe it’s the lack of technologically-enhanced toys or maybe it’s just that bedtime is approaching, but I find it very soothing.  Luckily, my daughter loves bath time as much as I do, so it’s always a happy time!  And since bath toys really only last a couple years before they just start getting gross, I’ve been able to buy her new girly bath toys (as opposed to the hand-me-downs from her brother) totally guilt-free.  It’s been great! 😉

So if you’re on the lookout for gift ideas for a 1-year old girl or just want to make bath time more enjoyable in your own home, give some of these bath toys a try:

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Oct
2017

5 Brilliant Solutions for Saving Your Child’s Artwork

categories: Activities & Crafts, Inspiration & Motivation, Parenting, Parenting Inspiration, Tips & Tricks
What to Do with Your Child's Artwork

I’ll be honest. When my son started preschool this year, the last thing on my mind was what the heck I’d do with all his artwork.  In fact, I couldn’t wait to see what he’d bring home!  I had the magnets ready and oo’ed and ah’ed at his initial creations.

Then they kept coming.

And coming and coming.

I swear, he has 4 art classes a day!

So it wasn’t long before my husband confronted me.  The artwork had to find a home.  One that wasn’t the kitchen table, kitchen counter, or family room end table.

And he was right. Within weeks, the artwork had taken over the house.  I wasn’t willing to part with it (obviously). So that left one option – figure out what to do with it.

 

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Oct
2017

10 Engineering Gifts that Will Blow Your Preschooler’s Mind

categories: Christmas, Gift Guides, Gift Guides for Children, Holidays, Parenting
The Best Engineering Gifts for Preschoolers

I have a preschooler who is obsessed with being an engineer.  It started young with mega blocks. He would build a tower taller than himself when he could barely even walk.  Then he moved onto trains.  And I’m telling you, he was (and still is) obsessed with trains.  He recently came up to me with a new train and said “Mommy, look at this. See how the piston moves the piston rod and then that moves the coupling rod and then that makes the wheels move? See? See? See how it works?”  

So, needless to say, I’ve somehow reached a point where my 3-year old knows more about engineering than I do.

I am bound and determined to make sure I give this little guy all the opportunities I can find to help him succeed as an engineer, but for now, that’s just going to come from his toys!

So if you’ve got a little engineer on your hands too, give these gifts a try.  You will be blown away by how well they do!

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