One Fabulous Mom's Finance Week

I love talking about money, and more importantly how to save, invest, spend, and make more of it.

This week, One Fabulous Mom has had some fun features on the topic of money...you should check them out!

Portion Control: How Much Should You Really Eat?

In a society of super-sized portions, it is hard to know how much you really should eat...especially if it is sitting there, staring you in the face. Over the past several years, plates have actually increased in size, which means the amount of food you are eating has increased, too. And research has shown that the larger amount of food we are served, the more we will eat.

Here are some easy guidelines to keep your portion sizes under control:

• A medium apple or orange = a tennis ball
• A medium potato = a computer mouse
• A cup of fruit = a baseball
• 3 oz. of meat or fish = a deck of cards
• 1 oz. of cheese = four dice
• Pancake or waffle = a compact disc
• 1/4 cup of nuts = a golf ball

A simple way to reduce your portion sizes is to reduce your plate, glass, serving bowl and package sizes. Try using salad plates instead of a large dinner plate for your meals.

Information provided by Mayo Clinic Health Solutions

The Rookie Mom's Handbook Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered The Rookie Mom's Handbook giveaway.

Congratulations to Nicole who said "This book would be perfect for me. I'm one of those women that feel they have no natural knack with babies, let alone figuring out activities to do with them. I'm so backward!"

Nicole, please contact us at info@housescouchesandbabies.com to claim your prize.

And for those of you that didn't win this book, I highly recommend picking up a copy. For just about $10, it can be the gift that keeps on giving. Click here to buy The Rookie Mom's Handbook now!

Stay tuned for more fun and fantastic giveaways!

Beech Nut Oatmeal for Babies

Subtle things can make all the difference in the world. Perfect case in point...oatmeal for my 8 month old daughter. I have always bought Gerber oatmeal or rice cereal in the past and get so frustrated with the retractable opening that spills dry cereal all over the counter or table.

That is why I was thrilled when I saw at the store that Beech Nut Oatmeal Cereal now comes in an easy pour package. Simply put, it has a twist off cap - similar to cartons of orange juice.

I know this sounds silly but this container has made my daughter's feeding time that much more enjoyable for me. Why? Because I have one less mess to clean up when feeding time is over. And if that isn't a huge win, I don't know what is!!!

Chelsea Lately: A Must See

If you stay up late enough to watch late night talk shows (11:30pm), then you must watch Chelsea Lately on E!. Chelsea Handler is so hilarious! The luxury of being on a cable station: she is able to say all the things we are thinking. Her round table discussions at the beginning of the show make me laugh out loud...which sorry to say, Dave and Jay never make me do.

Maybe it's a girl thing...I don't know. Although my husband laughs out loud at some of her stuff, too.

Just check out the quick segments above and below.



Check out Chelsea Lately on E! at 11:30pm, Monday through Friday.

3 Reasons To Eat Watermelon

Watermelon is a summertime staple for any barbecue or party. Besides its yummy deliciousness, there are 3 reasons from RealAge.com why you should eat watermelon.

Here goes:

1. Watermelon is loaded with lycopene, which is great news for your body because early research has shown that lycopene may be a cancer crusher.


2. Watermelon can make your skin pretty because it is loaded with a key compound credited with helping skin's healing and regenerative processes.


3. It is practically calorie-free! Watermelon contains less than 50 calories in every cup. It also has a whopping 141 grams of water per cubed cup, which will keep you hydrated, too.

Plus, a recent study showed watermelon can have Viagra-like affect on men...interesting!!!

And here's some extra watermelon trivia for you. Whole watermelons that are stored at room temperature deliver more cell-protecting antioxidants (specifically lycopene and beta carotene) than refrigerated melons.

After watermelon is picked, it continues to ripen and build up antioxidants. However, if you chill the melon, it seems to cut this antioxidant build up process short. Your body will be best served if you keep the watermelon on the counter until you are ready to cut it. Of course, after the watermelon is cut, you should store it in the refrigerator for safety reasons.

The Rookie Mom's Handbook Surprise Giveaway

For all of you new moms out there, you are probably thinking "I love being a new mommy...but what have I gotten myself into?" Being a new mother is hard work. And while you love your new life as a mommy, you also may wonder if you will ever do the things that you did before your bundle of joy arrived.

AMAZING BOOK ALERT!!!! GREAT GIFT ALERT!!!!

I just recently came across the cutest book for new moms called The Rookie Mom's Handbook: 250 Activities to do with (and without!) your baby. Two fabulous moms came up with all of these activities after the birth of their first children. In fact, they challenged each other to post their favorite activities on a shared blog (rookiemoms.com) until they reached an activity for each day of a baby's first year. (Talk about commitment!)

Some of my favorite activities from this handbook include #8 Write a "Did Do" list, #27 Encourage daddy time and relax already! and #171 Say Goodbye to mom shoes.

What is so clever about this book is that it is written in chronological order for your baby's first year. So you don't have to read the entire book to figure out what activities you will like best. You can read it in bits and pieces as your baby grows older, day by day.

As a mother of two, I highly recommend having fun with many of the activities listed in this book. It is so easy to get caught up in (and eventually get stuck in a rut) motherhood...but remember, you still are the same person you once were. You are just now covered in spit up! (And if you have a girlfriend that is stuck in this rut, then please get this book for her!)

And thanks to the Rookie Moms, (1) lucky Houses, Couches and Babies reader is going to win a copy of this fantastic book. If you don't have a new baby or aren't even pregnant, this book would make a fantastic baby shower, baby arrival, or "just because" gift to give a friend or family member that is a new mom.

Here's how to enter:

• Post a comment telling us why you would like to win this book.
• In your comment, please be sure to include your name (or blogger name) as well as your city/state, country.
• Post your comment by Midnight PST on Monday, July 28th.

The winner will be announced shortly after July 28th. The winner will not be contacted, so please be sure to check back!

Good luck!

Click here to buy The Rookie Mom's Handbook now!

I Hate Hormones

After 9 months of pregnancy and my daughter's 8 months of existence, I totally lucked out and started my menstrual cycle. Check out the following clip from Saturday Night Live to see how I have been feeling the past several days...



And keep in mind, it has been 17 months for me, not just 11 months like in this clip! My poor husband and children!

I don't remember feeling like a poltergeist when I started my cycle after having my son. (And I know my husband would remind me if I did go through this after post baby #1!) This is just another reason why 2 kids are plenty for this mommy!

Shout Wipes...You Must Try Them!

A couple of days ago while watching my son at his swimming lesson, I made an interesting discovery. My son's foot slipped while he was jumping into the pool to his instructor and he grazed his cheek against the wall of the pool. In his typical 3-year old fashion, he was upset. But he wasn't upset because his cheek was bleeding. He was upset because he didn't grab his Spider Man diving stick.

With all the chaos, my son got a little blood on my shirt...a shirt I was wearing for the first time. Oh well, no biggie. It certainly isn't the first time and won't be the last. But then a friend pulled out a Shout Instant Stain Remover Wipe. She just rubbed the blood stain spot for about 5-10 seconds and voile, it was gone! I was impressed.

In fact, I was so impressed I went and bought a pack of these Shout Instant Stain Remover Wipes for myself. And what is great about these wipes, they are so thin and small they can fit in the smallest purse or a diaper bag. I highly recommend picking up a box and trying them for yourself..if you haven't already!

Three Lovelies Surprise Giveaway Winner

Wow! Thank you to everyone who entered the Three Lovelies surprise giveaway. I told you they have super cute stuff!

Now, to what you have all been waiting for...the winner is:

Doreen who said, "Love the 'Ava RoseDouble Handle Barrel BagWhite'!! Lovely!! "

Doreen please email your mailing address is info@housescouchesandbabies.com to claim your prize.

Thank you again to all those that entered and please stay tuned for many more exciting giveaways!

5 Minute Rule

Back in school, the 5 minute rule was how long we would wait for a teacher to show up before bailing out of a class.

The 5 minute rule has an entirely new meaning now that I am a mom.

Whether he is swimming in the pool, playing at the park, or watching his favorite show, my three year old always asks for "5 more minutes."

Now that he is three, he often protests taking a nap. But I finally figured out a way that gets him to nap(at least most of the time)...the 5 minute rule. I simply ask him to close his eyes and take a 5 minute nap. I explain that as soon as he takes just a 5 minute nap he can go back to playing. He understands that 5 minutes is a short amount of time so he thinks he is getting off easy.

The beauty of the 5 minute rule...once he is asleep, he goes well beyond the 5 minutes, usually taking at least an hour nap.

The result: a happy, rested child that is ready to run around the house like Indiana Jones screaming, "Start the plane, Jacques!" Oh, and a happy mommy, too!

How to Deal with Customer Service

Whether it is my health insurance provider, cell phone provider, or cable company, I feel like I am always on hold with customer service.

While I was pregnant, I felt like I was losing my mind because I would talk to one person at my health insurance's customer service department about an issue and would be told the issue was settled. Then I would call back again a week later to verify everything had been taken care of and they would tell me that my previous discussion never existed. What???

What frustrates me the most is that you get that silly recording that tells you that "your conversation may be recorded for training purposes," and yet they don't use their own recording device to document the call...well, at least not to your benefit.

That's when I decided to take matters into my own hands and turn the tables on customer service departments. Here are some tips to make sure customer service doesn't take you for a ride:

• Even if you are calling to ask what seems like a simple question, prepare to be on the phone for at least 20 to 60 minutes. (If it is less than that, count yourself lucky!)


• Have all documents from that company out in front of you before placing the call
  
• Know what you are entitled to (ex. your comprehensive dental plan covers inlays, so why is your insurance provider denying the inlay claim your dentist submitted?)


• Take notes on your call. In your notes, include...
  the name and employee ID number of the person(s) you spoke to;
  the date and time you placed the call(s);
  reference numbers and what they mean (customer service uses them, so you should, too!); specific details of what you were told by representative (ex. insurance provider will review claim and have a decision made in 10 - 15 business days [and calculate what that date is]);
  exact expiration dates or program periods (ex. cable bundle package rate only lasts 6 months)
  what follow up steps the representative will be making and/or what actions you were told to take by rep;
  if and when you should make a follow up call verifying that your account is in proper standing;


• Let the representative you are talking to know that you are taking notes


• Refer to your notes from previous calls, if necessary


• If you don't think you are getting the proper "service," ask to speak to that person's supervisor; if that person doesn't provide you with the help you need, ask to speak to someone else.
  
• In this day and age, customer service departments are located all over the world, which means you may have a tough time understanding the person you are talking to due to language barriers. If you can't understand the person you are speaking to, don't get frustrated. Explain that you are having a tough time understanding that person and ask to speak to someone else. Repeat until you can understand the person you are talking to.


• If by what seems like the end of the call you still aren't satisfied, ask to speak to the retention department to explain your frustrations and find out what they are willing to do to keep your business. If they aren't willing to keep your business, there are plenty of other companies that would be more than happy to welcome you as a new customer.

I have figured out that many customer service departments have built in hassles so that you won't bother calling in to take care of an issue. And in many cases, it works.

But if you are tired of being taken for granted, use the steps above. As tedious as they sound, they do work.

Three Lovelies Surprise Giveaway

Believe it or not, spending time on the computer is often a luxury with 2 crazy kids under 3 in the house. I often make a list of all the websites I want to visit in a day so that I don't forget! And unfortunately, I don't always get to all the sites I want to see on my list.

Luckily, I have found a fantastic website that allows me to find not only super cute items for children/babies, but also for me, and my friends! (What a bonus!)

Three Lovelies is a shopping destination dedicated to new moms and was inspired by a woman's experience working at Parenting Magazine and being firmly immersed in "mom culture." Three Lovelies provides a convenient shopping destination that caters to a mother's two sides - the side that desires items for her role as mommy and the side that wants to celebrate the woman behind the mom.

This website was designed to celebrate the many roles in a woman's life, and more importantly, help her manage something no woman ever has enough of - time!

The items you will find at Three Lovelies are super cute, and many I haven't seen before. If you are sending a gift to a friend, you will certainly be sending something with a chic, boutique style, unlike anything you might find at a chain store. (Plus, a hand-written thank you note and a discount card for 10% off your next purchase is included in every order. To me, little things like that matter!)

What I love most...I can send a baby gift and birthday gift to a girlfriend all from the same site! Talk about one-stop shopping!

And what you will love most...(1) lucky reader is going to win a $50 gift certificate to shop at Three Lovelies.

Here's how to enter:

• Check out ThreeLovelies.com and post a comment below telling us what item you like most and why.
• In your comment, please be sure to include your name (or blogger name) as well as your city/state, country.
• Post your comment by Midnight PST on Monday July 14th.

The winner will be announced some time shortly after July 14th, so please keep checking back to see if you are the winner.

Good luck and happy shopping!

shown above: OiOi Giraffe Print Tote ($160); Loralin Design Baby Book Gift Set ($26); Hannah Jane Designs Reversible Button Dress Green Stripes ($48)

Do You Really Have to Turn Off Your Car When Filling Up with Gas?

As I was sitting in the car with my 2 kids while my husband got out to get gas, I thought to myself, does he really need to turn off the car? I thought of this because I quickly began suffocating due to the 97 degree heat outside.

So, again, I ask the question, Do you really need to turn your car off when filling up for gas?

I went searching on the web and found that yes you do need to turn your car off. Here are two explanations as to why you should do so:

• "The biggest reason is the alternator. When running, a car's alternator is always generating electricity. While doing this, it is producing a small spark inside where the brushes contact the stator. This tiny spark is al it takes to start a gas fire. For this very reason, even diesel vehicles need to be turned of when near gasoline pumps. I worked for Union Oil briefly and was shown training films about this that would curl your toes. "(Courtesy of answers.yahoo.com)


• "It could start a fire if the fumes from the gas being pumped get close enough to a source of ignition, though that is not really a concern today with the new vapor recovery nozzles that almost every gas station uses these days. Some of the other risky things that leaving your vehicle running while you are pumping your fuel are if the shifter is not completely in park it could move and your vehicle could move on it's own running you over or hitting the car behind or in front of you,if a child or a pet is in the vehicle they could hit the shifter by accident and the same problems as described above could happen. Another thing to be concerned about is static electricity between your body and the fuel pump that is why the tell you to touch a metal object like your cars body to discharge any static electricity before you pick up the fuel nozzle because if a spark from static electricity finds any fuel on or in the nozzle a fire will start on you faster than you can react,and THAT WILL DEFINITELY RUIN YOUR DAY QUICKLY. "(Courtesy of answerbag.com)

During the hot summer months, I highly recommend filling your car up with gas in the early morning or evening if your will have passengers in the car.

Festive and Fun Ideas for the 4th

Sure, it is the day before your 4th of July party, and you are still looking for something to make your shindig special...

Well look no further than Hostess with the Mostess for fantastic 4th of July decorations, food, and my favorite, cocktails. (How great would those watermelon stars be at your party!?!)

Happy 4th of July! (An, of course, if you are going to drink, drink responsibly!)

What is Your Real Age?

I stumbled across a fun little test to figure out my "real age" based on my health and lifestyle. The test was put together by Oprah's favorite doctor, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and his book writing partner, Dr. Michael Roizen.

Click here to check out the Real Age Test yourself. It takes 10-20 minutes to complete, but the results are very interesting.

My "real age" is 24.1...even though my chronological age is 30.8. (Not to brag or anything!) Take the test and comment back here what your real age is!

Where Should Things Go in the Fridge?

Ever wonder where to store food in your fridge for optimal freshness?

Here are some tips courtesy of American Baby magazine:

• Produce: Store fruit in one crisper and your vegetables in another. Green veggies require more humidity, so set drawers accordingly. Apples can cause other fruits to rot so seal them in plastic.


• Cheese and Butter: Keep in the deli drawer since cool air routed to this drawer keeps these foods very cold without freezing them.


• Milk: Dairy will spoil faster on the fridge door where it is warmer so keep milk on a lower shelf.


• Eggs: Store these protein filled beauties on a cooler lower shelf and keep them in the carton so they won't absorb other food odors.


• Meat, poultry, and seafood: Place in a sealed container to prevent raw juices from contaminating other foods. Store on the bottom shelf in case of drips.

With summer's heat in full swing, these tips will keep your food at its best!