It’s been almost one week since I started a new diet. So far it’s going well I think. I haven’t yet taken any diet pills and hope to lose weight by eating less. But at this point I’m not ruling any option out.

I’ve decided to give Weight Watchers a try. It’s been an interesting week getting used to the point system. It’s almost like a game to try to come in at or below the number of allotted points. This week I’m over 9 points including my extra splurge points. Next week will hopefully be better now that I’ve had a little time to adjust to doing points for a week.

I will once again be buying frozen foods to get used to eating less. This worked fairly well this past week and was awesome not having to cook. My kitchen never looked so clean for so long! But after next week I will begin to wean off the frozen foods and cook more.

It’s definitely been a learning experience this week. I haven’t went hungry and do feel I’ve lost a little bit although I hate to get on the scale just to realize that isn’t the case. Maybe next week I will weigh and see some lower numbers.

It seems when I search for tape at our house, I can always find postage tape. Postage tape does work wonders since it is so sticky. I use it not only for packages but for other projects as well.

I used a small amount to hold in place the aluminum foil on our back windows. I didn’t use any on the window sills because the paint would probably come off with the tape. But I just used it to hold the foil together.

Postage tape also works well for wrapping presents. You can split the tape and use strips of it when wrapping presents. It holds well. The only problem is once it is placed on the paper, then that is where it will stay. If you try to remove it, you will remove the paper as well.

Most anytime I need tape I can just use postage tape for the job. It is almost as versatile as duct tape.

When we made pizza last week, I let Rae stir the dough. She was so excited as she proudly proclaimed, “I’m cooking!” Oh if only I had half her enthusiasm for cooking. It made me realize that I need to find more recipes that she can cook.

I found a recipe that we might try for Fresh Fruit with Lemon-Mint Sauce. She will be able to toss the fruit in the bowl and drizzle the sauce over it. Best of all this recipe uses honey, so it will be a great way to use some local honey in our diet.

I forget about salads or fruit as a dish that the kid can help out with. Her favorite part is mixing anyway. I definitely want to encourage her if she wants to be in the kitchen. Who knows. Maybe in a few year she will be doing a lot more in the kitchen, which means I will have to do less!

Having a child means we go through a lot of milk, probably three gallons a week. I hate having to throw away those big, plastic jugs. I recycle them when I can for other purposes. Here are some ideas for those gallon milk jugs.

10. Refill with water and keep in automobile in case of overheating.

9. Use to take Kool-aid or tea to family reunion or party.

8. Cut a hole in the middle of the jug and use as a plastic bag holder.

7. Use a funnel and fill with birdseed instead of worrying with bags. It will also be easier to refill feeders with jug than seeds in a bag.

6. Keep spare change in it.

5. Cut bottom off and use as a scoop for grain, corn, or practically anything.

4. Cut a hole in the side and store spare car parts in it especially nuts and bolts.

3. Put rocks in it and hang around your garden to scare off animals.

2. Save to mix up cleaning solutions from concentrates.

1. Give to kids and show them how to blow across the top of the opening to make a noise. Have them form their own jug band!

I’m in the middle of a clutter war and I’m losing it. I’ve been searching for de-cluttering tips for a while now. I think I’d rather find acne solutions than do this. It just seems and endless battle. One that will never be conquered.

We were suppose to have guests for the fourth of July, which meant that we would be forced to clear the clutter. Now they aren’t coming but I’m still trying to psych myself out to have my home organized by then.

Our biggest problem is not our small home but that we have way too much stuff. The problem is that most of it seems important to us. I’ve also been telling myself just to let it go – so that when I tackle a pile of clutter that I actually discard some of it. Hopefully it will work. Some boxes haven’t even been opened since we moved so it’s kind of doubtful that tomorrow we will need anything they contain. Besides if it’s out of sight, we might buy it again forgetting that we actually own it.

Yes, it’s definitely time to live with less.

My husband created an object for iGoogle that is a countdown until Raegan’s birthday. So, now when I’m on my iGoogle page, I feel a little panic knowing the date is getting closer with every passing second. She will be three and will most likely be more into her birthday this year – meaning it will be way more complicated than last years. There will be guests to invite, games to play, and fun to be had. I need to get started now to make this all happen. Here is some of my preliminary research on birthday party ideas for her third birthday.

Renting a jumper. This might be a bit pricey but I believe she and her guests would have a blast. This is the one activity that she has done when we’ve went to festivals that had kids activities. Since this would be outside, it would have to be a nice day. Better check on cancellation policies before deciding on this option.

Stuffing an animal. I’ve recently become a rep for Stuff n Snuggle since I absolutely adore their product. Rae loves stuffed animals, so I thought it might be fun to stuff an animal in lieu of a party happy for the guests. We stuffed our first one this week, which was a lot of fun. Although I think Rae prefers him without any stuffing. Still, this might be fun to do at a birthday party.

A Pinata. What kid doesn’t enjoy waving a stick wildly in the air in a vain attempt for candy? Some of the store bought ones are really hard to break. Maybe I will feel crafty and attempt to make my own.

That’s about all the options I have thought about thus far. I have a few more months to weigh all of my options. What birthday party ideas for kids have worked well for you?

Our oven has two settings: off and blazing hot. We’re not sure what exactly is wrong with the oven but something is definitely not right. During the summer, I try to use the oven as little as possible since it really heats up the house. But I still need to cook, so I’ve been using the microwave more. There are some instances where the microwave just doesn’t work as well. One solution I’ve been looking into is toaster ovens.

It would be much cheaper than a new oven. Toasters are not just for making toasts anymore. A lot of models are designed to cook foods and are big enough to even cook pizzas. Wize.com has plenty of toaster ovens that you can browse through. Best of all, they have a thumbs up/down voting system that guests can vote if they think a particular toaster oven is best for baking. A toaster oven might just be the answer.

I doubt any of the toaster ovens that are currently on the market will be able to replace my oven, but it might offer a quick fix for the summer. I know I definitely want an alternative when it comes to cooking that will not heat up the house nearly as much as the oven.

Meals this week are going to down and dirty. We will be having a lot of frozen meals for two reason.

First, we are starting a diet and to keep our calories in check, we will start out with frozen meals. It means less worry about calories while we adjust to a new way of eating. Plus hubby thinks he’ll be working late this week. I hate cooking when it’s just me eating. The two year old eats various foods but it’s always whatever she wants and not necessarily what I’ve cooked.

So, this week will be fast and easy. Probably not the tastiest or the best for us but hopefully will help get us on the dieting track.

Last weekend we went to the Natural Science Museum in Mississippi. It was a fun experience but what most impressed me was the preschooler room. It was a room with fun activities just for those five and under. Slides, a tree house, and costumes are all activities that kids enjoy. I’m sure soon enough Rae will go through the dress-up stage.

That’s why I’ve been on the look out for kids costumes. I can imagine the day when she and her friends are playing dress-up in her room. How much fun she will have. BuyCostumes.com not only sells kids costumes but has a great selection at very competitive prices. I’m always disheartened by the costumes that are sold once a year at the local stores since they are over-priced for something that looks cheap and flimsy. I would much rather pay for quality halloween costumes that will last longer than a month.

Buy Costumes not only has kids costumes but adult ones as well. We will be going to the Ren Fest in November, and it would be so much fun to go in costume. Buy Costumes has the perfect outfit for less than $40! At that price it’s very tempting. Also with Rae getting older, she will be into trick or treating this year. How much fun it would be for all of us to go in costume.

Of course, the bargain shopper in me loves the 5 for under $5 deals that Buy Costumes runs Monday – Friday. Each week you can find five different items including costumes that will cost less than $5. What an expensive way to stock up the dress-up closet or get ready for Halloween. Buy Costumes will definitely become my first stop when shopping for costumes because of their great selection and prices.

This week I made homemade pizza and let the two year old make the dough. She had a blast mixing the flour and water as she has gotten quite fond of mixing ‘flours’ at Mamaws. Once she was doing mixing, she proudly proclaimed, “Look! I’m cooking!”

Once she helped make the dough, she also helped to put the toppings on the pizza. She would place some and then eat some.

Homemade pizza can be super easy and really cheap to make. We buy the Jiffy pizza dough packages that are around 42 cents, one jar of pizza sauce that is $1.08(and is enough for about three pizzas), a package of mozzarella cheese($1.88), and toppings($2-$5 but is enough for at least two pizzas).

The dough is the biggest bargain. All you have to do is add water, stir, wait for minutes, and knead it a few times. It’s really easy and can be a great way to cook with the kids.