I was helping my mom clear out her spare room and found some old photographs. This picture above was taken in 1981. It’s amazing how much we change and grow through the years.

Growing up I remember my mom always being a hands on kind of mom. She loved my brother and I unconditionally, she took care of our boo-boos, she never let us go hungry even if that meant we had tuna casserole or goulash often and she encouraged us to do our best. She worked hard for everything she received and never minded getting her hands dirty. She always knew how to make things work and grow especially in the garden. She made many of my Halloween costumes growing up and I too hope to be able to do the same for my son. She’s sarcastic to friends and family while polite and reserved with strangers. She is stubborn and hard headed. She is smart, talented and driven. She’s a wife, mother and friend.

My mom and I are still close and I love her dearly. She can be a pill at times, but she’s my mom and I wouldn’t trade her for the world.

If your looking for products that are effective, safer, environmentally friendly, and economical, you should look into Melaleuca. They sell health and beauty products as well as products for the body, the home and the kids.

Melaleuca’s scientists have spent years developing EcoSense – a line of cleaners with an entirely different philosophy. You shouldn’t have to choose between effective cleaning power and the health of your family or the safety of your home. Rather than relying on harsh chemicals to break down dirt through chemical reactions, Melaleuca relies on natural solvents and enzymes to penetrate dirt and stains, and put them into solution (much like water dissolves sugar or salt) so they can be easily rinsed away. The result? Fabrics and surfaces are cleaned without the damage caused by caustic cleaners. Melaleuca’s EcoSense products are effective, safer, environmentally friendly, and economical.

Many EcoSense products are super-concentrated, so there are no fillers, no unnecessary ingredients, and no large, bulky containers. That means less plastic for packaging. And, all EcoSense products are packaged in recyclable bottles so they can be easily recycled in areas with recycling programs. That not only makes EcoSense easier to use and store, it reduces the impact on landfills, water treatment facilities, and recycling plants as well.

See for yourself. Every Melaleuca product is backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee. If any EcoSense product fails to meet your highest expectations, contact us within 60 days for a full credit or exchange.

I have personally tried the Clear Power Glass Cleaner, Sol-U-Mel 3-1 Cleanser, No Work Daily Shower Cleaner, Diamond Bright Dishwasher Detergent, Triple Antibiotic Ointment as well as the Lemon Bright Dishwashing Liquid and I enjoy them all. I particularly enjoy knowing that the products I am using to clean my home are not filled with toxic chemicals that can be damaging to my family and home. Melaleuca also has a 100% gaurantee, so if you don’t like a product you can receive a credit or exchange it within 60 days. Now that’s good news!

Sharon Epperson, the CNBC personal finance correspondent for the TODAY SHOW, wrote an informative article regarding money tips for stay-at-home moms.

Five ways to manage your money:

1. Set a budget
2. Maintain seperate accounts
3. Continue to save for retirement
4. Make sure you’re adequately insured
5. Stay connected

I would highly recommend this article if you are a mom or dad that is contemplating whether or not it’s possible for one parent to stay at home with their child. Sharon Epperson does a great job expanding on each of these categories and she just may get you on the right track to reach your goal.

One Step Ahead has an amazing selection of the most adorable children Halloween costumes that I’ve seen. They have dragons, honey bees, peas in a pod, cowboys, pumpkins, scarecrows, jalapanos, owls and lobsters. And these are just to name a few. If you’re still looking for that perfect costume I would highly recommend checking out the website. Actually, I would highly recommend you check it out anyway because you’d be surprised at the extensive everyday children’s items they carry. They have everything ranging from fun and educational toys to clothes to safety times for the home. They really do have a great selection.

I was having a hard time coming up with a birthing plan of my own because there are so many things to consider. After reading many books I came across this example in the Johnson’s Mother & Baby book. It was the most simple and direct way to write a birthing plan and I thought I’d share.

Birth Plan

I am looking forward to the birth of my first child, and I have written down a few ideas on how I hope my labor will progress.

Support person – My partner, ____, will be with me throughout the birth.

Monitoring – I understand that you routinely do a 20 minute electronic fetal monitoring session, which is fine. If all is well, I would like the baby to be monitored from the on with intermittent monitoring.

Positions – I don’t think I will want to be restricted to the bed, and would welcome the use of other active birth aids.

Pain relief – If necessary, I may request pain medication. I hope not to need demoral or an epidural, although in the event of a cesarean section, I would like to have epidural anesthesia so I can be awake for the birth.

Amniotomy – I would prefer not to have my membranes ruptured artificially.

Episiotomy – I would prefer to tear natural than be cut

(Sign your name)

***Make sure to bring at least 2 copies with you to the hospital. Give one to the nurse attendant, doctor &/or midwife and keep one for your own reference.