For the most part I’m a thrifty shopper when it comes to groceries and home goods. I don’t buy generic all the time, but when I know it’s the exact same product I’ll choose the cheaper route. I figure that by saving money and cutting corners on some items, I can justify spending larger amounts [...]

To crafty moms or older kids, the Ka-Jinker, which retails for about $12.99, resembles a hip version of the Bedazzler without the metal prongs. The Ka-Jinker, with a very sharp needle (hence the mom or older kid disclaimer) shoots a plastic tag fastener through an oversized sequin supposedly attaching it to and adorning flip-flops, tee [...]

I recently traveled to my grandfather’s hometown to attend a memorial service for him and dispose of his remains as he’d wished. The whole family did the road trip to Illinois for the service, but in the interest of privacy, I am not going to say exactly which town we went to, only that it [...]

Dear Motherhood Maternity, I just wanted to let you know that your ad (right) is not convincing me that you are the best store from which to buy any maternity related item, especially a nursing bra. First of all, the three models you have chosen for your “huge selection” of comfort and support all look [...]

What is with all the Mojito talk lately? I know I’ve been out of the bar hopping scene since college, but I finally had one of these drinks I’ve heard so much about last weekend. Everyone else at the party raved about the refreshing taste, but warned me that you must like minty drinks to [...]

Since our son was born just over 5 years ago we have visited JCPenney’s portrait studio almost yearly. It has served our needs well by providing nice portraits for a very reasonable price. Now, when I make an appointment for something I understand “sh*t happens” and people don’t always run on time. I expect this [...]

by Izzy Just a few things for the W Lakeshore to think about… Putting a guest room directly under your very loud nightclub? BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD idea. Did I mention that it was a bad idea? As you may have guessed. I was in that particular room. Thanks. A lot. $14 Mojito at your [...]

After my 5th cavity in 3 years I was up for some oral hygiene changes. I didn’t spend 2 years in braces back in high school to have my teeth rot away now. I wasn’t sure why the sudden change because I brush regularly and floss too. Up until 3 years ago I didn’t have [...]

McAlister’s Deli has Mississippi roots. When I still lived in Mississippi, we ate at a McAlisters at least once a week. The variety of sandwiches, best sweet tea anywhere, and dependability of service was enough to make most every one I knew a regular customer. A little over a year ago, McAlister’s opened a restaurant [...]

Wendy McClure is best known as a contributor to the ever-feisty “Television Without Pity” website, as well as her own blog at poundy.com She wrangled a book deal from her blog, and the result is I’m Not the New Me, a memoir of her struggle to lose weight. For the first half of this book, [...]

I’ve been reviewing some free samples of Glad Simply Cooking bags. I must admit I was leery of these from the start. Microwaving and plastic just don’t mix, and these are essentially plastic bags designed for microwave steaming vegetables. The press materials accompanying these bags claim that because no PVC is used in the bags [...]

My kids typically have 2 or 3 pairs of shoes at any given time. Since they grow out of them so quickly, we don’t like to buy them more than that, even if they are inexpensive. Typically we will take a trip to the Stride Rite outlet store a couple of times a year and [...]

I like mom magazines as much as anyone and when a new one hits the market, it’s very likely I will check it out. I think the one in question came to us via some frequent flyer points we were needing to use up and didn’t have enough to actually merit travel. Enter Cookie. Ummmm, [...]

A few weeks ago we purchased a Spiderman 3 Web Slinger Water Slide for our son at Meijer. We were out of town at the time and do not have that store anywhere close to us, making a regrettable purchase also not returnable. We had issues with this product from Toy Quest from the beginning. [...]

With four kids under eight, I do a ton of laundry each week, and it’s a rather time consuming process to stay on top of everything. I don’t get much chance to take my time sorting and moving laundry through before someone poops or needs help getting a drink or a boo-boo kissed or homework [...]