So, I’ve gotten on the Works For Me Wednesday bandwagon, and I was trying to think of what DOES work for me this week. It’s been one of those weeks where not much WAS working for me (including my car! story for another day…oy vey!)…and I thought of a few things that I could share.
First, let me say that I am always looking for a good deal. I don’t like to spend more than I have to on groceries or cleaning supplies. But I have found that, as a busy mother of two little ones, there are some things that are definitely worth the extra buck.
1. Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush Flushables–Is it cheaper to invest in a toilet brush and a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner? Oh sure. Is it worth it? No. These little beauties are flushable, so you use them to do the dirty work and then send them down the river. No dripping, nasty toilet brush to deal with.
2. Clorox Wipes–Again, it’s cheaper to buy an economy sized bottle of multi-purpose cleaner and some paper towels, but these are so much quicker when comes to cleaning toys or wiping down door handles or bathroom counters. Although, I always have a terrific time trying to get the pesky buggers out of the dispenser on the first use.
I couldn’t find a good way to segue from talking about cleaning supplies to food, so I’ll just jump right in with the rest of the list.
3. Juice Boxes–As a mom of just one toddler, I used to cart around a jug of apple juice in the diaper bag. Yeah, yeah…go on and laugh. But I would drop Kenni off in the church nursery with a bottle of apple juice and a sippy cup. I didn’t want to “splurge” on juice boxes just for their portability. But….I got over that. And I love the freedom found in a diaper bag full of juice boxes!
4. The Formula Dispenser–There is no greater piece of $3.00 plastic than a formula dispenser. I’ve been through three of them in the last 8 months (they seem to jump out of my bag when I’m not looking). I am currently without one, and even though we will be transitioning out of formula soon, I am still going to buy another one. A can of formula can magically multiply its weight times twenty when placed in a diaper bag.
5. The cute little Cheerios container–Have you seen these? (I couldn’t find an image anywhere to show you, but it’s a tall bottle-looking container…not those little round dealies that have been around for years.)
Anyway, we were at Target one day and Caia was in need of a snack. So, I bop it on over to the baby food aisle thinking I’ll just pick up some of those Gerber fruit puffs (which, in themselves, are fabulous…and I’ve discovered the way to keep the three-year old out of her baby sister’s snacks is to buy the sweet potato flavored ones. She thinks they’re “dis-gusting”!). But I saw these Cheerios containers, and I was sold on the reusability of it. It has two different dispensers on the top. One for pouring out a great big handful of whole grain goodness, and the other for popping out individual pieces of the cereal. (Although, we can’t seem to get that one to work for us…) But whatever. I refill it up once the O’s are gone and chuck it back in the bag. Love it!
And so…that is my random smattering of what works for me…
Now, there are a few things that I want to TRY and SEE if it works for me…
Like, the Swiffer Wet Jet. And those Munchkin Snack Trap containers.
And…you ready for this?…the Ped Egg. Yeah, from TV-info-mercial Land, I want to try…The Ped Egg.
Oh!I want to try the Ped Egg too!
For your daily dose of vintage goodness & a bit of silliness, stop by Confessions of an Apron Queen, the home of Vintage Thingies Thursdays.
My daughter is almost 4 and so we’re diaper bag-free but when we travel she carries a little backpack. I pick up the small bottles of Gerber Juice when I make it to the Detroit-area (I’m Canadian). They fit in the outside pocket of her little backpack and are an actual serving of juice. They are, unfortunately, too big for taking through airport security but I have had Reid drink one while we were in line so that we could take the empty bottle through with us to fill up with water from a fountain. Spilling it involves only a few ounces, unlike an adult water bottle. We have a history of squeezing juice boxes and so the bottles work better for us.
hey girl, i am sure i will see you at the park today but….i have some formula dispensers from abigail if you want to borrow it until you are done, be a little thrifty, we love hand me downs. and the swiffer, i havent personally used the wet jet but the other one you have to change the pad sooo often and it get jumbled up while you are pushing i am just not for it, and as for the ped egg…yes i want to try it too although jay and i cringed when we saw the info-mercial at all the nastiness that fell out!!
Hi great post. Just wanted to say my sister has tried the Ped Egg and she loves it. She said it is the best thing she ever tried for her feet and is worth the money. (-:
I got the Ped Egg from Walgreens for $10 and it does work amazingly well!
I have had mixed success with the various snack trap options out there. My FAVORITE is this one http://www.snacktrap.com/Categories.bok?category=Made+For+Mom%3AThe+Snack-Trap my daughter enjoys fishing her snacks out and they don’t fall out. The other brands I’ve tried all tend to gap or warp so that eventually the snacks fall out if she turns it upside down. Gerber is especially bad for this. I Love those new cheerios containers too, I received a $1 off cheerios coupon in the mail and was able to use it to buy that container for about 50 cents, what a great reusable design!!
Take & Toss cups work as a great substitute for the Cheerios containers. I used one in China for Eli and the bonus was that it was sort of a rattle at the same time. (What can I say? There’s a weight limit of how much you can bring on the airplane!)
I haven’t tried the Ped Egg (was that the name??) but I will say that if you’ve got dry heels, the absolute BEST product I’ve found is Amlactin XL (http://www.amlactin.com/) - spendy but worth it. I had a pedicure that didn’t include a razor (for the first time EVER!)
-amie