ReadySetMom

Coupon expiration reminders

If you are like me (oh, please let me not be alone here), coupons are a challenge. So many good intentions...and then the inevitable expiration date that always comes way too fast. As I'm frantically trying to organize my office (ha!) I've come across THREE coupon books that need your attention! Dig them out of your junk drawer -- they are expiring soon!

Southwest SmartTrips Coupon Book: You received this if you registered for the SW SmartTrips campaign (you know, all that great stuff about biking/walking/public transportation in SW that was delivered via bicycle?). This coupon book is chock full of good coupons for SW businesses (Annie Blooms, Sweets, Paloma, Baker & Spice and much, much, much more), but they expire October 31, 2008.

Co-op Advantage Coupon Book: If you're a member of Food Front Co-op, you will have received this in the mail. Lots of discounts on everyday food items. Expires October 31, 2008.

Chinook Book 2008: Last year's coupon book expires on November 30, 2008.

Calling cards for kids?

Have you heard about this? ReadySetMom reader Melissa writes:

Now that school has started I have come across a new phenomenon (at least for me)...mom, parent and family calling cards.  You may have seen them but I hadn't. On one side it has your name and parent's of --- and the other side it has your child's name, dob, allergies and emergency contact information.  I have watched various reactions from parents/teachers who are handed one of these cards.  What do you think about this?

I haven't come across any of these yet, but I think I overheard some parents at preschool talking about it the other day. The gist of it was that kids won't remember cell phone numbers and important info in a crisis -- which Heather and I observed while at Green Sprouts last weekend: a little boy got separated from his parents and he was so upset that he couldn't even compose himself enough to tell us what his name was, let alone that of his parents or a cell phone number. In this situation, the parent was quickly found. Whew!

What do you think about calling cards? Great idea? Or just another THING we probably don't need?

Just roll away those dark circles

Tell me if you think this sounds too good to be true.

You roll out of bed, look in the mirror and gasp at the dark circles under your sleepy eyes. Oh, you think, I'll just roll away that ugliness. You grab this revolutionary new product that looks like a mini version of an old deodorant roll-on, roll it around under your eyes, and watch the puffiness and darkness just disappear.

Any product that makes such unbelievable promises leaves me feeling dubious - and intrigued. If you believe the majority of reviews I've come across online, the Garnier Anti-Puff Eye Roller is the must-have beauty product of the moment. It contains caffeine, which is supposed to decongest puffiness and diminish dark circles, and something called Pro-Vitamin B5, which aims to refresh and hydrate the eye area. It purports to do this in a matter of days and with as little effort as putting on Chapstick

If you can find it, it sells for about $13 at Walgreens. That's quite a bit cheaper than any doctor's office procedure.

This sounds like a wonderful product, but I don't know if I'll try it. I prefer to drink my caffeine and try to get enough sleep, though not necessarily at the same time.

Have you tried the Anti-Puff Eye Roller? Would you?

Meet an anti antibacterial mom. And you?

I've always been anti antibacterial. It seems every time I read about any type of antibacterial and its leading active ingredient tricolosan, the final word is: nothing is better at fighting germs than soap and water. I did buy a tiny jar of triclosan-containing goop for my diaper bag eons ago to use if I was ever in a situation where I had to change a poopy diaper but couldn't wash my hands afterward. As I recall, I never used it and threw it away a few years ago after my youngest got out of diapers.

I've turned a blind-eye to the use of antibacterials in my daughter's kindergarten classroom last year, but over on EnviroMom we've been talking about making our concerns known to our kids' teachers about this and other school supplies that are bad for the environment.

Today the Oregonian ran a great feature piece on potential hazards of using antibacterials, and the practice of injecting antibacterials into products such as toys and cutting boards. Worth a read. Do you use antibacterial-containing products? Why or why not?

Miracle cream or a big waste of money?

My daughter was playing on the deck the other day and fell, hitting her head on a door frame. A big bump quickly materialized, smack in the middle of her forehead. There was a little blood and a huge bump, like the ones cartoon characters got after the anvil fell on their heads. (What was an anvil used for anyway?) I wouldn't have been surprised to see stars and birds circling her head.

I immediately put ice on the bump and, on the advice of my sister-in-law, I applied Arnicare homeopathic gel. After a day or so, the swelling went way down and only the faintest hint of a bruise showed up. But as the bump went away, the cut became more visible. I could see that it was probably going to leave about a one-inch scar on her lovely forehead. Call me vain, but I immediately took off for Rite-Aid to look for some scar cream, which I remember hearing about but never tried.

Mederma for Kids is what I picked up. It's a purple gel that dries clear and I'm supposed to massage it into the scar three times a day for eight weeks. It's made from an onion extract that is supposed to help scar tissue become smoother, softer and less noticeable. It was hours after I had plunked down $20 for the tube and smeared it on my 4-year-old's forehead when I started wondering whether it would actually make a difference.

I hope it works because I hate wasting money on health products and it would come in handy for my somewhat clumsy daughter. (At 18 months, she fell and knocked out a front tooth. A year later, she fell off a chair and broke a toe.)

Have you had any success with scar creams?

Get your $5 bike helmets on Saturday (not Friday)

Just in time for the summer bike riding season, the Legacy Health System will be holding a $5 helmet sale this week.

Helmets of all sizes - kids and adults - will be offered for sale and individually fitted. If you already own a helmet and want it to be adjusted for a correct fit, experts will be on hand to help.

The helmet sales event will be held on Saturday, June 7 from 9 am to 1 pm at Sunset Presbyterian Church, 14986 NW Cornell Road. Check here for more upcoming sales in the Portland area.

Lovestruck with Moonstruck

Last night, I tasted my first Moonstruck chocolate bar. Or should I say I devoured my first Moonstruck chocolate bar? As in, I had one taste and couldn't stop eating until I had finished the whole thing.

I've often bought Moonstruck chocolates as gifts. I sent a box of truffles to my best friend in New York on her birthday. I've bought miniboxes at PDX on my way to visit friends in San Francisco. But I had never indulged myself. Too expensive. Too fancy. Too expensive.

For my birthday a couple of months ago, a friend gave me three Moonstruck chocolate bars: Milk Chocolate Mayan Bar, Ivory Chocolate Bar, Milk Chocolate Espresso Bean Bar. It felt decadent just carrying them home. For days, I left them on my desk and just looked at them. Three perfect rectangles of sweetness wrapped in gold foil. Then I squirreled them away in the pantry for a special moment (and to keep them away from my kids ... and my husband.)

Last night I needed a special moment, so I unwrapped the Mayan Bar. Now I worship at the temple of Moonstruck.

And today I head for the gym.

What's in your art supplies box?

Summer vacation is just around the corner and I'm thinking it's time to stock up on art supplies for some at-home activities. There's no shortage of (dried-up) markers, (broken) crayons and (filled-up) coloring and activity books in our house. We have construction paper, foam sheets, stickers and beads.

But a stroll through the craft store reveals a gazillion other fun and creative supplies that may keep my crafty kids busy for more than a minute. Problem is, I don't have a gazillion dollars to buy them all, which is what my kids would want if I was dumb enough to take them to the store with me. Plus, they would pick the messiest activities that require the most parental assistance. That would totally defeat my goal of keeping them occupied so I can do something else, like sit on the deck and sip lemonade.

So, poll your kids, rummage through your supplies, think back to last summer. Then report back here on the top three things I must add to my art supplies arsenal. Do it now, please. My summer sanity depends on it ...

Suddenly summerlike and time for sunscreen

You might have overheard this conversation while I was getting dressed this morning:

Foot: Hello, space between the big toe and the second toe, I'd like to reintroduce you to sandal.
Sandal: Dude! How's it going? Glad to be out of the closet, if you know what I mean...
Foot: No doubt! How long's it been? Like 9 months or something?
Sandal: You're telling me! Was it not the longest, coldest, wettest spring ever or what? Man, it was dusty in that closet too. It's good to be out.
Foot: Well, nice seeing you again. Hope to form some calluses with you soon, so I can wear you every day!

Suddenly, it's summer. The elementary and preschool teachers are full of reminders to put sunscreen on the kids, stuff their totes and backpacks with sun hats and sunglasses, but NOT let them wear flip-flops (being a first-year elementary school family, the ban on flip-flops is new). But the struggle to get the kids to put on sunscreen is older than dirt. Actually, one of my kids doesn't fuss about sunscreen, but the other one, I have to chase around the house wielding the sunscreen, trying to swipe at her and hit all the places where major amounts of skin are exposed. I try to aim for the freckles, since they mock me: places I've missed in the past.

Of course, now there's all sorts of warnings about the dangerous chemicals some sunscreens contain in addition to the nasty phthalates of suncreeen fragrances in most of your standard, drugstore brands. Then there are the enviro-healthy suncreens: you pretty much need to tap into the kids' college savings plans to buy 2 ounces, and then it's like smearing Elmer's paste on their skin. "No really honey, it won't feel gross and it's good for you!"

Sunscreen. Which brands do you love? Which do you hate? Someone, for the love of Pete, please leave a comment or we are going to go on strike.

Half-baked idea or a whole lot of brilliant?

My husband sent me the link to a product called the NANA Saver as a joke, but does anybody else think this could be a really useful thing?

My daughter, the fruit lover, will eat an entire banana, apple or pear, no problem. My son, not the fruit lover, may grimace and take a few bites of a banana when I insist. So giving him half a banana makes sense, but what to do with the other half? (Yes, I could eat the other half, but let's just say, for the sake of persuading you to like this product, that we have half a banana hanging around with no takers.)

It's NANA Saver to the rescue! Cleverly designed to look like a half-banana, it sits flush against the cut side of a banana to minimize exposure to air (which leads to brown and mushy) and costs only $2.98.

No more mushy half-bananas. Buy a NANA Saver.